Simone Biles, the gymnast, has been called one of the greatest ever. Biles and the rest from the U.S. gymnastics team arrived in Tokyo looking for gold. They were expecting to win it. Biles, who was expected to bring home the gold medal in the team finals, seemed to falter Monday. The vault event didn't go as planned for Biles, and the team built around her success, it felt almost like she had lost all hope of bringing home the gold. The legend of modern gymnastics, Biles, pulled out of all-around competition shortly afterwards, citing mental health concerns. What Next's Wednesday episode featured Rebecca Schuman, a writer about gymnastics at Slate. She spoke to me about Biles' fate and the sport's future. This edited version of our conversation was condensed to make it more concise.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMary Harris: The hype surrounding the 2021 Games was quite real for Simone Biles, and the team.Rebecca Schuman: She is unbeatable on her best days. You can see her brilliance, but also exhaustion, if you have been following her closely over the past year. She stated that her body hurts and that she couldn't keep going until 2020. She was so upset that the Games were delayed to 2021 that she had been holding on by her fingers, the weight of the cursed Olympics on both her shoulders. She didn't want to go. It was not something she wanted to do. She wanted to be a role model for the rest of the world. A large part of her wanted to stop working and retire last year.AdvertisementWhat was it that drove her to this point in the year?There are many things. She is capable of performing these amazing moves with exceptional execution and wants to prove it to the world. She has also stated repeatedly that USA Gymnastics can't afford to be complacent about the things it does.AdvertisementUSA Gymnastics created a culture that was abusive for a year. Dozens upon dozens of athletes have testified that Larry Nassar, the team doctor, took advantage of them when they sought treatment. Biles did not testify against Nassar during the trial, but she confirmed that she was a survivor.She is the only survivor from Larry Nassers abuse and still competing. They have to take responsibility for her actions as long as she's giving USA Gymnastics a difficult time. It is a tremendously powerful gesture, but can you picture carrying that much weight?AdvertisementBiles and the U.S. were overwhelming favourites to win these Tokyo Games. What happened to the U.S. female athletes in the qualifying round? This made people pay attention to possible problems.Here's what happened during the qualifying round. The U.S. began on floor and everyone scored slightly lower. It was obvious that the judges would be harsh. Biles looked stunning when she took to the floor. However, her third tumbling pass was just too strong and she bounced off the floor completely. Biles scored a lot lower than usual, which put a damper on the competition.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt sounds like the team was panicked.The whole team was frightened. Everyone was shaking. Biles then took the beam and stayed on her routine. Then her dismount went wrong again. She took a lot more steps back.While many observers ignored the mistakes made in qualifying rounds, they noted that Russia's team was exceeding expectations. These shaky performances seem to have a negative impact on the heads of American gymnasts, particularly Biles. How did the actual team competition go?It was the worst thing that could have happened to Biles. Warmups were the first step. After her warmup, something went wrong. After that, she did well, as does everyone else, and it was time for Biles. She goes up and in the middle of the air and I immediately noticed that something had gone wrong. She'd lost her place.AdvertisementWhat could you have possibly guessed?It didn't look like her usual routine, so I could tell. She did only a twist and half, instead of two-and a-half. She's been perfecting this for years. It was truly, really shocking.AdvertisementWhat struck me was that I could hear the announcer's jaw dropping as she spoke, almost like she wasnt sure what to say.True. She did exactly what I expected.You've stated that they must always know where they are in air.AdvertisementIt's exactly. Look, Ive done it. When I was very young, I was doing a back handspring. I lost my place in the middle. I fell on my forehead and my parents thought that I was dead. It was okay. It happened, but you know what? Every gymnast has lost their way in the air.How does it feel?You feel like the world is stopping. It's almost like you go into a blackout when you do it. Sometimes, you might accidentally snap out of it. The awareness fades and you're back on your head.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt is actually quite dangerous to get out of the blackout because you will be too aware.Yes, exactly.Biles was asking questions as the gymnasts talked to the media about what had happened. Biles was really harsh on herself. She kept talking about the silver medals of the team, and not hers, even though it was hers. She was being very hard on herself, and she kept talking about the silver medal of her team. A reporter caught her off guard and it led to a sweet exchange between her teammates. It was the first time I had ever seen such a thing in a team sport. The members showed up publicly for each other like this.They are their only hope in gymnastics. USA Gymnastics, their organization, has failed them. They will not be there for each other if they aren't there for each other. They don't have their families. They are completely on their own.AdvertisementBecause of COVID.Biles is a pro. Biles spent the rest of her meet cheering on everyone, helping with their bags. She then went to the presser, because that's her job. I would have completely excused her for all of this. She's strong as nails. She didn't want to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher.AdvertisementBiles' ability to withdraw from competition this week on her own is yet another sign of her passion for changing the sport. It was hard not to think about Biles' decision to withdraw after a vault went wrong, and to compare it with Kerri Strug who had to vault on an injured leg.AdvertisementAn ankle that was severely injured and a vault she didn't need to do. They didn't need her score. Although they didn't know it at that time, they could have waited and left it open for another routine. She didn't want to do that. They told her to persevere.This decision is so different because she was a hero at the time. She was eating cereal boxes and seemed to have gritted through it all as part of the winning team. It is striking to see how Biles' gymnastics team looks so different.Every possible way. That is a positive thing. I'd rather be part a team that won silver medals and had complete control of their bodies, and did not compete with anyone who was seriously, grievously injured than to be part a team that could win gold. Biles could not have forced herself to compete in that condition, and that is not a good precedent for young gymnasts. Instead, she was heroic.AdvertisementAdvertisementYou sound so sorry for Tokyo. However, you know that Biles is still the GOAT and this kinda proves it.Her post-Tokyo lifestyle will not be any different, I think. She will retire from competition, and she will be Simone Biles for her entire life. Her incredible legacy will not be tarnished. She has given more to the sport than it is due.Subscribe to the What Next Apple PodcastsEvery weekday, Mary Harris brings you more news.
