Athletes Redefine Strength by Prioritizing Mental Health at the Olympics and Beyond
The year 2021 marked a significant shift in how mental health is viewed in the sports world, with two female athletes at the forefront of this change: Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka.
Biles, the American gymnastics legend, earned her seventh Olympic medal and second in Tokyo with a third-place finish in the balance beam final on August 3. Her achievement came just a week after she made the bold decision to withdraw from several competitions to focus on her mental health, due to a condition known as “the twisties.” This mental block can prevent gymnasts from performing complex maneuvers safely.
This occurred just months after Osaka made headlines for withdrawing from the French Open in May, announcing she would not participate in news conferences due to the toll they took on her mental well-being. She also skipped Wimbledon before returning to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, where she had the honor of lighting the cauldron as one of Japan’s most iconic athletes.
