Current:Home > MarketsSimone Biles thought 'world is going to hate me' after she left team final at Tokyo Games -WealthRise Academy
Simone Biles thought 'world is going to hate me' after she left team final at Tokyo Games
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-10 23:39:32
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! (9)
Related
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Connecticut Sun force winner-take-all Game 5 with win over Minnesota Lynx
- Could Naturally Occurring Hydrogen Underground Be a Gusher of Clean Energy in Alaska?
- Kansas City small businesses thank Taylor Swift for economic boom: 'She changed our lives'
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- The Latest: New analysis says both Trump and Harris’ plans would increase the deficit
- Mega Millions winning numbers for October 4 drawing: Jackpot at $129 million
- Madonna’s Brother Christopher Ciccone Dead at 63
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Veterans of Alaska’s Oil Industry Look to Blaze a Renewable Energy Pathway in the State
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- 'SNL' skewers vice presidential debate, mocks JD Vance and Tim Walz in cold open
- NFL’s Buccaneers relocating ahead of hurricane to practice for Sunday’s game at New Orleans
- Alabama's flop at Vanderbilt leads college football Misery Index after Week 6
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Jax Taylor Refiles for Divorce From Brittany Cartwright With Lawyer's Help
- The Biden administration isn’t extending a two-year program for migrants from 4 nations
- Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas Emma Brungardt Dead at 19 After Car Crash
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 6
Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, has died at 63
How did the Bills lose to Texans? Baffling time management decisions cost Buffalo
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
A look at Trump’s return to Pennsylvania in photos
South Korean woman sues government and adoption agency after her kidnapped daughter was sent abroad
Bruins free-agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman signs 8-year, $66 million deal