Simone Biles' Mental Health > Tokyo Olympics

July 30, 2021

News, Simone Biles, tokyo olympics

Simone Biles is the GOAT. She holds a combined 30 Olympic and world championship medals. Simone is also the only woman in US history to execute the world’s most challenging vault, the Yurchenko double pike. With all of her accolades and skills, she is still human and chose her mental health first as she withdraws from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Simone explains how she’s been very stressed lately due to multiple factors, which weighed in on her decision to withdraw from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She states, "after the performance that I did, I didn’t want to go into any of the other events second-guessing myself, so I thought it was better if I took a step back and let these girls go out there and do the job, and they did just that.”

Simone dealt with a lot, explaining how she feels like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders with internal and external pressures and expectations. She expresses how she wanted the Olympic games to be for herself but felt like she was doing it for other people. Simone shows little girls everywhere the importance of being self-aware.

(Source: USA Today)

We admire Simone’s decision to withdraw by putting her mental health first and thinking about her team. She did not want to jeopardize them by not winning a medal. Simone explains, “an d I tried to go out here and have fun and warm up in the back. But then once I came out here, I was like, no, [the] mental is not there. So I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself." Her actions represent pure leadership and humility.

Simone teaches us never to underestimate our mental health, to prioritize our well-being, and to take it one day at a time. Sometimes in high-stress situations, it’s best to step away. Simone exclaims, "We have to protect our minds and our bodies and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do.” We agree, choosing yourself is the best decision anybody could make.

Zoe loves Simone Biles and the lessons she’s teaching all of her curlfriends. Healthy Roots Dolls believes representation matters for all people and how important it is for storybooks and toys to celebrate the beauty of our diversity. We love how little girls can grow up and learn from Simone Biles how important it is to take care of yourself and your mental health.