Opinion: Simone Biles had the right to keep herself safe
On July 30, USA Gymnastics posted this statement on Twitter:
Courtesy USA Gymnastics
When Simone Biles stepped down from the Olympics, Americans everywhere became experts at gymnastics. Biles has been bullied nationally because of her decision to step down from some events. These are some of the headlines regarding Biles:
“Simone Biles is no hero. She is a quitter,” wrote Tim Constantine, a talk show host and columnist.
Texas politician, Aaron Reitz, tweeted Simone Biles is “our selfish, childish national embarrassment.”
But most Americans are not experts on gymnastics. I’ll admit that I’m not either. But Grace Rojas is.
Utah State University senior Grace Rojas started gymnastics when she was seven years old and has been competing for USU since 2018.
Like most everyone else, Rojas was shocked when Biles pulled out from some Olympic events. “For me, watching from the outside, it was shocking but I understand that no one’s perfect,” Rojas said, “it’s just crazy that it was Simone Biles.”
Biles got the “twisties” while she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.
The twisties, as Rojas explained, can happen to any gymnast. “You get mental blocks and you get lost,” Rojas said. “You could just not know where you are in the middle of the air and land on your head instead of your feet.”
In other words, Biles’ safety was compromised. But even if it wasn’t, we shouldn’t be criticizing an elite athlete’s decision to not compete.
Here’s the thing: Olympic gymnastics is a team sport. No team in the Olympics should be dependent on one player to carry the team to victory. If they do, they’re not a good team. Good teams work together to win. Biles’ exit should not severely impact USA gymnastic performances because the other gymnasts are excellent.
When Biles withdrew, she told her teammates, “You’re going to be just fine. You guys have trained your whole entire lives for this.” I doubt that Biles would withdraw from the Olympics if she didn’t have confidence in her teammates’ abilities.
But even if she didn’t, it’s not a crime for her to back out of competing. Simone Biles is an Olympic champion. She had won four gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal (two bronze now). She started competing in World Championships in 2013 and has won 25 medals (19 gold). Biles’ career speaks for itself.
Who are we to force her to compete?
I don’t know anything about the kind of pressure Biles faces. Being good enough to compete in global championships would be hard enough, but, on top of that, Biles faces pressure from the media and public figures. She is expected to continuously break records; she cannot plateau or lose. Biles is expected to only win gold. But she couldn’t.
That’s the hard truth of competition: there will always be someone who beats you. Biles is great, but she will never be perfect and we can’t expect her to be. We can expect her to do what she always does: her best.
Emily White is a senior studying English and print journalism. She is currently serving as the content manager for the Lifestyles section of The Utah Statesman.
– emily.white@usu.edu