With four Olympic gold medals and dozens of World Championships under her belt, Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in the world. But all of that success can bring a heavy amount of pressure with it — a reality that she referenced when she made her shocking decision to withdraw from the U.S. team gymnastics finals at the Olympics on Tuesday. To discuss the growing conversation around mental health among professional athletes, Sue O’Connell – in for Jim Braude on Greater Boston – was joined by Boston University lecturer and sports journalist Shira Springer.
Springer praised the “bravery” it took for Biles to admit she wasn’t in the right headspace to perform under pressure. Biles herself has spoken out on social media about feeling like she has the “weight of the world” on her.
“She gave her team a pep talk after she decided to withdraw, and she said, ‘listen, you can do this.’ And there’s something to be said for that type of leadership,” Springer said.
The rise of social media has led more athletes to be open about their mental health, Springer said. “[There is] greater comfort on the part of the athletes about being vulnerable and coming across as a three-dimensional human being, which wasn’t the case maybe five, 10 years ago when there was this expectation of perfection.”
WATCH: Simone Biles highlights importance of mental health while under the spotlight
