She is America’s uber athletic, charismatic, African-American princess. She is gymnastics’ GOAT, a five-time World Champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist. She is the avatar of talent, class, resilience and seeming perfection. She revolutionized her sport and has been a consummate role model to young women, especially of color. She went from foster care as a child to the top of Mt. Olympus. She is, of course, Simone Biles.
But what we don’t know matters mightily. The weight–and consequent pressure–she carries as the face of the sport. From family, friends and fans to media, sponsors and NBC execs. The wear and tear on her 4’8” body, including broken toes and a kidney stone. The after effects of surviving sexual assaults at the hands of her own team doctor. In a moment of unmasked candor, when asked her happiest career moment, she responded: “Probably my time off.” That speaks volumes. “At the end of the day, we’re human too,” she has said. “So we have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.” Hence, those Olympic withdrawals.
None of us non-icons can walk in her gym shoes. The mental pressure—as Naomi Osaka and other prominent athletes well know—can be relentless and sometimes blindsiding. In Biles’ case, it also got physical when the “twisties” kicked in, which is a scary loss of orientation. It can be dangerous, even for those who seemingly defy gravity. Whatever her final act as a gymnast– likely the Tokyo balance beam bronze–it will have been on her terms. She has earned it.