Current:Home > reviewsSimone Biles thought 'world is going to hate me' after she left team final at Tokyo Games -FutureFinance
Simone Biles thought 'world is going to hate me' after she left team final at Tokyo Games
View
Date:2025-04-11 16:38:55
Decorated gymnast Simone Biles thought "the world is going to hate me" when she withdrew from the team final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after experiencing the "twisties."
The four-time Olympic gold medalist revealed what was going through her mind in the 2020 Summer Olympics on an episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast posted on Wednesday. When she realized she had the "twisties," best described as when a gymnast can't comprehend what their body is trying to do and is unable to execute moves, Biles thought she would be heavily criticized by her home country.
"If I could have got on a plane and flown home, I would have done it," Biles said. "As soon as I landed (the vault), I was like, 'Oh, America hates me.' The world is going to hate me. And I can only see what they're saying on Twitter right now. That was my first thought.
"I thought I was gonna be banned from America. Because that's what they tell you; don't come back. If it's not gold, gold or bust, don't come back."
Biles was replaced by Jordan Chiles in the team event, where the U.S. won silver. Biles won the bronze medal in the balance beam before stepping away from gymnastics for a time. She also detailed what it's like to experience the "twisties," comparing them to the "yips" in baseball or suddenly forgetting how to drive a car.
"It's basically like your mind and your body is at a disconnect. Your body is going to try to do something and your mind is going to be like, 'No, you're not doing this,' " Biles said. "You've been doing something for so long, and you now no longer have control.
"I go to tell my coach, and I said 'I'm done. I'm not doing any more.' Because if I survive that, I don't know how much else I can survive."
Biles has returned to excellence in gymnastics. In October, Biles won her 33rd medal at the world championships and Olympics, tying Vitaly Scherbo for most by any gymnast, and she will be going for more at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
veryGood! (17)
Related
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Baby formula maker recalls batch after failing to register formula with FDA
- Explosion in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, leaves one dead and multiple injured
- Trump’s hush money case has gone to the jury. What happens now?
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Trump’s hush money case has gone to the jury. What happens now?
- Shania Twain doesn't hate ex-husband Robert John Lange for affair: 'It's his mistake'
- Charges reduced against 3 facing prosecution in man’s death during admission to psychiatric hosptial
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Bronny James to remain in NBA draft, agent Rich Paul says ahead of deadline
Ranking
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Job scams are among the riskiest. Here's how to avoid them
- Texas power outage map: Over 500,000 outages reported after series of severe storms
- At 100, this vet says the ‘greatest generation’ moniker fits ‘because we saved the world.’
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Black men who were asked to leave a flight sue American Airlines, claiming racial discrimination
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he opposed removal of Confederate monuments
- Is Diddy getting charged? Former associates detail alleged history of abuse in new report
Recommendation
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Why Real Housewives of Dubai's Caroline Stanbury Used Ozempic During Midlife Crisis
Jurors in Trump’s hush money trial zero in on testimony of key witnesses as deliberations resume
From electric vehicles to deciding what to cook for dinner, John Podesta faces climate challenges
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
What are leaking underground storage tanks and how are they being cleaned up?
Four dead after vehicles collide on Virginia road, police say
New Jersey police union calls for ‘real consequences’ for drunk, rowdy teens after boardwalk unrest