After the American magazine
Time
, the Spanish sports newspaper
Marca
chose to honor Simone Biles by granting him the title of “
Marca legend
”, a trophy awarded to those who have marked the history of their discipline. The gymnast, a quadruple gold medalist in Rio in 2016, was expected as the superstar of the Tokyo Olympics. She will only leave with two medals, one bronze on the beam and one silver as a team.
Above all, the American refused to participate in the other events, putting her mental health before her performances.
“
If you look at everything I've been through the past seven years, I should never have been on another Olympic team,”
she explained to
New York Magazine
.
The 24-year-old gymnast suffered from "twisties" when she entered competition.
This phenomenon inherent in gymnasts causes them to lose their sense of direction when they are in the air.
“
Let's say that up to 30 years old, you can see perfectly
, summarized the sportswoman
.
And one morning you wake up, you can't see nothing.
"
Depression at the root of his troubles
Biles was in fact the victim of issues related to his mental health. She had revealed in 2018 to be one of the 250 victims of Larry Nassar. The former US team doctor was sentenced to life in prison for sexual assault on minors for more than 20 years. "Simoney" never got over these horrible acts, which made him fall into depression. The American explained it clearly to the media present in Tokyo, lifting a big taboo in the world of sport.
Biles wanted to prove to herself that she was stronger than his mind, which obviously wasn't possible.
By not taking part in the rest of the events, the sportswoman became one of the first icons to assume this weakness in front of the world.
“
I should have given up long before Tokyo.
But I wasn't going to let him take something I had worked for since I was 6 years old
”.
Marca chose to reward her bravery, highlighting the "
lesson
" she had given to the whole world.
"I am more proud of what I did in Tokyo than of all my medals"
, also headlines the daily, quoting the champion.
Before the Tokyo Games, Naomi Osaka had laid the first brick.
The tenniswoman refused to speak to the press at Roland Garros.
The Japanese justified herself by explaining that the media
"too often damage the mental health of players"
.
The former world number 1 had suffered from the writings of the tabloids, guilty according to her of several intrusions into her private life.