Gymnast Simone Biles may be one of the greatest athletes of all time, but her Tokyo 2020 experience still haunts her.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Biles said she’s still struggling with the “twisties.”
“I don’t twist (on tour). I do double lay half-outs, which is my signature move on the floor. That’s never affected me. But everything else weighs so heavy, and I watch the girls do it, and it’s not the same,” said Biles. “But the twisting, once I got back, will come back. But I’m still scared to do gymnastics,” she added.
Biles was forced to tap out of several Olympic events after suffering from a case of “the twisties.” At one point, there was doubt over whether she would return to the global event.
She did.
Biles won a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in the balance beam final. She now holds seven Olympic medals — tying her with Shannon Miller for the most by a U.S. gymnast.
“I wasn’t expecting to medal,” Biles said per The New York Times at the time. “To have one more opportunity to be at the Olympics meant the world to me.”
In August, Biles said she welcomed the open dialogue surrounding the mental health of Black women athletes.
“I think now that it is a leading topic of conversation, it is really helpful, because at the end of the day, we are athletes and it is our craft, but we are human too,” she told Entertainment Tonight.
Biles added that she did not regret heading to Tokyo.
“Obviously, there are still a lot of feels and emotions behind it, but as far as my Olympic experience goes, it was very unique and there is nothing like it,” she said. “I believe everything happens for a reason, so I wouldn’t take it back for the world.”
