Simone Biles, a world-renowned gymnast, withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics final at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, prioritizing her mental health over winning an Olympic gold medal. The American gymnast withdrew because of the heavy expectations that have been placed on her for years from her coaches, trainers, peers, fans, and particularly the media, who decided to highlight her flaws and mistakes after falling off the beam, rather than her team’s many accomplishments. I stand by Biles for withdrawing from the competition because her decision has made her an inspiration for many young athletes around the world. I hope that this brave decision will bring awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues in the athletic world. Therefore, I think that this should be an important reminder to the world that although professional athletes may appear to have superhuman abilities, they are only human.
