Simone Biles to critics: ‘I can’t hear you over my 7 Olympic medals’
Biles withdrew from competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and chose to put her “mind and body” first
Simone Biles has clapped back at critics who call her a quitter following this summer’s Olympic games, saying, “I can’t hear you over my 7 olympic medals.”
Biles withdrew from competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and chose to put her “mind and body” first. The superstar athlete later said she has no regrets about pulling out of the competition. Most recently, she shared a photo on Instagram of the silver and bronze medals she won at this summer’s Games, noting that she is not a quitter.
“Can’t believe it’s already been a month,” Biles wrote. “Definitely not the way I planned the Olympics going but I wouldn’t change anything for the world ?.”
“I’m proud of myself and the career I’ve had thus far. this Olympics doesn’t erase the past accomplishments I’ve achieved nor does it define who I am as an athlete,” her post continued.
“I’ve pushed through so much the past couple years, the word quitter is not in my vocabulary. for some of you that may be how you define me but keep talking because I can’t hear you over my 7 Olympic medals which tied me for the most decorated gymnast EVER as well as most decorated American gymnast,” Biles wrote.
The American gymnastics champ won bronze during the balance beam a week after she took herself out of several competitions, theGrio previously reported. Biles earned her seventh career Olympic medal — tied with Shannon Miller for the most by an American in gymnastics — by drilling a slightly watered-down version of her usual routine in front of a crowd that included IOC President Thomas Bach.
She bailed out of her vault during the first rotation of the team finals on July 27, then stunningly removed herself from the competition as a matter of protection because she was having difficulty locating herself in the air. She later described the phenomenon as “the twisties” and subsequently pulled out of the all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise, and vault finals.
“I believe everything happens for a reason, so I wouldn’t take it back for the world,” Biles told ET’s Nischelle Turner in August.
Biles continues to be harassed by trolls following the Tokyo Olympics. She wrote in a July 26 post on Instagram about feeling “like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady recently came to her defense when he discussed the pressures “that are thrust upon you when you have a degree of success.”
Speaking to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Brady reacted to Biles and Naomi Osaka prioritizing their mental health at such a young age:
“I think there are so many young people in sports. Obviously, Naomi’s really young. Simone’s really young. I’m 44. When I was 24, I certainly didn’t have all the answers to all the different pressures and the adversities that you face. I don’t know if we have expectations for people that we should have all the answers, have all things figured out at young ages.”
Brady added, “You’re going through a lot at 21, 22, 23, 24, just as a human being. And now you’re dealing with it on the world stage.”
Biles and Osaka play individual sports, which Brady noted comes with “different psychological challenges.”
“That’s just a blessing about playing team sports,” he said. “I admire the people that can deal with them individually, and it’s definitely a challenge.”
*This story contains additional reporting from the Associated Press.
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