There’s one thing that Simone Biles credits for her return to the Olympics this year: therapy.
Biles is now the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history with eight Olympic medals. And she says it wouldn’t have been possible without consistent mental health support.
“Being in a good mental spot, seeing my therapist every Thursday is kind of religious for me. So that’s why I’m here today,” Biles said in an interview with NBC News last month.
The road to victory wasn’t an easy one for Biles. Three years ago, she withdrew from the team gymnastics competition at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics citing mental health concerns.
She later explained that she was experiencing what gymnasts refer to as “the twisties.” Although the twisties isn’t an official medical diagnosis, the experience is used to describe a psychologically-perceived disconnection between a gymnast’s mind and their body as they’re performing, especially during twists.
The effects of the twisties can range from missing twists or twisting more than one planned to, and landing or falling in a way that can cause injury.
When Biles was completing an Amanar vault at the 2020 Olympics, she noticeably turned 1.5 twists instead of the usual 2.5. Even onlookers noticed that she seemed disoriented during the twist.
“I have to focus on my mental health,” Biles said after pulling out of the Olympics in 2021. “I don’t trust myself as much anymore.”
Biles regained that trust within herself by starting small through practicing on soft surfaces and in ball pits, she shared via Instagram. She trained extremely hard ahead of the Paris Olympics and would sometimes leave practice feeling defeated because she experienced the twisties again, she told NBC.
But she didn’t give up because “I don’t want to be down the road in 10 years, look back, and be like, ’Oh, I wish I would have tried,” she told NBC.
Biles kept practicing and attending her weekly therapy sessions and began to feel more in tune with her body as she performed. On Tuesday, the Team USA gymnastics team won gold in the Olympic women’s team final, and Biles made history as a result.
“I always rise to the occasion,” Biles said in an episode of her Netflix documentary, “Simone Biles Rising,” which was released this month. “Even after all of the traumas and the downfalls, I’ve always risen.”
