07/30/2021 3:33 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 07/30/2021 3:33 AM
Much has been said
- and criticized -
in the last two days Simone Biles' decision to withdraw from the all-around team final of the Tokyo Olympics after having participated in only one apparatus and also getting off the definition of the all around individual to take care of your mental and physical health.
There were plenty of opinions and analysis. After the final, the American had said that in the hours before the competition she
had started to shake
, something that had never happened to her. But he had not explained what exactly the problem was. Until this Friday, when he told some Instagram stories what he is experiencing
and showed in videos how that affects him.
"For anyone saying I quit, I didn't quit. My mind and body are just out of sync.
I don't think you can gauge how dangerous that can be
in a hard surface competition. Nor do I have to explain why I put my health as a priority. Physical health is mental health, "she wrote next to a video in which she is seen practicing twists on the uneven bars.
"Supposedly I would have to do
a turn and a half more,
" he clarified.
In the next story, with another video, he started: "Almost, but no ... I would still have to do half a turn more.
"
This was not happening before I left the United States
. It started to happen randomly after the preliminary competitions, the next morning. At that point, a substitute could not come in my place, for you
'smarties',
" he continued.
"We have four members on each team for a reason. I chose not to continue in the competition
before risking losing a medal
(of any color) for the girls / USA. Also for my own safety and health."
After these initial explanations, Biles - who has not yet confirmed whether or not he will compete in the finals for devices, from Sunday - answered some questions that his followers sent him.
She said that
it is not the first time that she has experienced this disconnection
between body and mind and that, in the past, it took
a week or two for
her to feel comfortable and confident again during the exercises.
Although that recovery time can vary.
"It's never easy to deal with that. I heard it can be caused by stress, but I don't know how true that is. It's honestly
terrifying trying to do an exercise and not have your mind and body in sync.
I don't recommend it at all." commented.
The jump of Biles in the final all around.
"I have no idea how I managed to land on my feet," he said.
Photo Martin BUREAU / AFP
"When you do those laps with many turns, you don't have much idea where the ground is. It's the craziest thing I felt. You don't have the slightest control over your body. The scariest thing is that
since I don't know where I am, I have no idea. How am I going to land
or what am I going to land on, my head, my hands, my feet, my back ... ", he explained.
And he added: "Before the final, I was practicing in the gym and I was fine, more or less ...
I was fighting with my demons and with fear, but I still went out to compete.
The truth is, I have no idea how I managed to land on foot in the jump, because if you look at my eyes in the photos, you are going to see how confused I was because I did not know where I was in the air. Thank God I was able to land with some safety, but I think not all of you know that I should have done 2 and a half turns and only completed one and a half before it looked like I was shot out of the air. "
And he closed again with a clear message: "I did not have a bad performance and I resigned. I have had many bad performances in my career and I always finished the competition. I just
felt so lost that my safety was at risk and also my medal. teammates
. The girls took over, broke it in the rest of the competition and gave me the silver. You can see why there are four of us in the team. Because all of us can compete, not just me. "
"I felt so lost that my safety was at risk," she said.
Photo REUTERS / Mike Blake
On Tuesday, in the first rotation of the all around final, the colt jump, the American made a failed jump, which after not complying with the announced routine and an irregular fall, cost her
one of the worst scores of her career.
After that performance, he gave up his spot and withdrew from the competition.
With
Jordan Chiles
in place and Sunisa Lee as the leader, the United States took silver, behind the team from the Russian Olympic Committee.
Simone announced shortly after that she would also not be competing in the individual all-around final.
Will it also lower the definitions by apparatus?
MC
Look also
Djokovic's controversial position after what happened with Simone Biles: "The pressure is a privilege"
Rebeca Andrade, the gymnast who came out of a favela and defied injuries to shine at the Tokyo 2020 Games