Sports
Simone Biles: An Olympic Hero Unlike Any Athlete We’ve Ever Seen
Her courageousness allowed Sunisa Lee and MyKayla Skinner to medal and demonstrate to the world winning isn’t everything.
By William C. Rhoden
“… it was the closest thing to death without harming myself.” Simone Biles to Vogue magazine in a 2020 interview describing her rationale for sleeping as a way to cope with depression.
Gymnast Simone Biles is an Olympic hero. She’s officially my hero. Unlike the record-setters and gold getters competing at the pandemic games in Tokyo, the source of Biles’ heroism is not what she did, but what she did not do.
In Tokyo last week, Biles said “enough.”
Citing mental health issues and the need to refocus, Biles stunned fans – and her federation – when she withdrew from three event finals, including the all-around competition, an event she has dominated since 2013.
