As if that weren't enough. In addition to having suffered from "his old demons" which pushed him to forfeit most of the finals at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles also lost her aunt in the middle of the Olympic fortnight. A death that happened after the announcement of her packages, which therefore in no way explains the absences of the American superstar, but which makes the performance of the bronze medalist on the beam even more beautiful. “You have no idea what I went through. Two days ago my aunt died unexpectedly. It was not easy to be here at the Olympics during that time, ”said Simone Biles.
Information confirmed by his trainer Cécile Canqueteau-Landi: “It was just another horrible news.
I just wanted the week to end for her.
“Managing a family death from Tokyo, in isolation, something impossible for the four-time Olympic champion.
"She told me,
I can't do anything from here anyway, I'm just going to finish the week and handle it when I get home,
" her coach told The Independent.
"Two more medals ... It's not so bad"
A death that adds to his mental health concerns.
After her forfeit by team, the gymnast explained that she had to deal with her “old demons” and no longer have so much self-confidence.
That she also felt a strong psychological pressure.
“I have to do what's right for me and focus on my sanity.
We are human, we need to protect our mind, rather than doing what the world expects of us.
The American superstar was notably the victim of sexual assault on the part of Larry Nassar, the ex-doctor of the women's team, during his adolescence.
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“Leaving Tokyo with two more medals from my collection is not so bad,” the 24-year-old American quipped on her Instagram account. Simone Biles will keep from these Games the pride of having shed light on mental health problems and the media pressure that athletes can undergo. Asked what was most important between this debate and the medal, the gymnast did not hesitate: “Definitely, the fact of having opened my eyes to mental health. It's something a lot of people go through and yet leave under the rug. “With the team silver, and the bronze on the beam, no need to dust off your medal cabinet anyway.
