Simone Biles on Olympics twisties: 'I thought I was going to be banned from America'
Simone Biles has said she was scared to return to the United States after pulling out of a gymnastics final at the Tokyo Olympics while grappling with the "twisties."
Simone Biles has said she was scared to return to the United States after pulling out of a gymnastics final at the Tokyo Olympics while grappling with the "twisties."
The 27-year-old gymnastics legend — the most decorated athlete the sport has ever seen, with 37 world and Olympic gold medals — has spoken out about the huge pressure she felt from at home and abroad when she withdrew from the team final at the Games in the summer of 2021.
"America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now," she recalled feeling in an interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast, which was provided exclusively to "TODAY." The full podcast is due to be published on Wednesday.
Biles stunned millions watching around the world by failing to execute her vault routine and landing awkwardly. She pulled out of the team final and the individual all-round final, sparking a conversation about mental health and the pressures of elite sports.
Biles explained at the time that the “twisties” is when a gymnast loses spatial awareness mid-air and can’t judge when and where to land.
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