The overwhelming majority of gymnastics fans, and the sentient universe, support Simone Biles' decision to withdraw from the final of the women's gymnastics team (and later the all-around final) at Tokyo Olympics. We had just witnessed Biles lose her air awareness midair while she was vaulting. This is the dreaded twisties. Anyone with an adequate amount of compassion or, at the bare minimum, a willingness and ability to recognize the legitimacy in a fear of injury to themselves might find her rational decision to be sensible. Svetlana Khorkina (the Russian Olympian) has accused Biles of doingping in the past and said she (Khorkina), could have beat Biles in her prime (she couldnt), but she went out of her ways to get the Americans back.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSubscribe to the Slate Culture newsletter and receive the best movies, TV, books and music delivered straight to your inbox. Signing you up was not possible due to an error Please try again. To use this form, please enable jаvascript. Email address: I would like to receive updates on Slate special offers. You agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms by signing up. Thank you for signing up! You can cancel your subscription at any time.The support has, thankfully, drowned out second-guessers who claimed that Biles had not only betrayed her country, but also that she was setting an example for youth by refusing to break her neck so other people can watch her on TV.Biles never owed any of usespecially the nearly-exclusively-male naysayers who have become gymnastics experts in the span of three short daysan explanation. It is worth mentioning that she never owed us any gymnastics. She opened up to us via Instagram about what's going on right now and how she hopes to recover before the weekend's individual apparatus finals.AdvertisementBiles shared her experience with us through an Instagram story that was screengrabbed by many of her fans, including yours truly. The twisties are cute but not as much. Biles also posted a since-disappeared training clip to her Instagram account. She clearly lost track of where she was in midair during a sky-high, uneven bars dismount. She was supposed to twist twice in the double-salto flyaway technique, but she landed fortunately on her back in the foam pit at a private Tokyo gym that had opened its doors to her in an emergency.AdvertisementSimone Biles, a member of her IG Stories team, responds to those who believe she quit. She explains the twisties that she has been experiencing and how it feels not to have your mind and body in harmony. pic.twitter.com/79hN973rkd Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) July 30, 2021Biles is now in trouble because the Tokyo Games training facility for Olympians has only hard competition surfaces like the Ariake arenas podiumits designers assumed, often correctly, that gymnasts would no longer need the foam pits and other equipment to keep them from falling apart during their learning curve.AdvertisementAdvertisementDvora Meyers, a familiar face of the sport, explained this week that the twisties are a type of short-circuit in a gymnast's brain. It causes them to lose control midair and cause their body to either twist when it shouldn't or fail to twist when it should. The twisties are technically mental but gymnasts can still use them as long as they're not trying to perform their routines on hard competition surfaces. Simone Biles is a gymnast who can fly higher and twist faster than any other gymnast before herwell. She could even die.AdvertisementAfter sharing those terrifying training videos, she took it one step further and allowed her followers to see her brain. She invited her Instagram followers to ask any questions about her current issues. Biles was asked if it is worse on certain devices. She replied that it is on all events. This is really bad.When asked if she had ever been bitten by the twisties, shed replied that she had. It is truly terrifying to try to master a skill and not have your mind and body in sync. Biles added that she has, but that it could be stress.AdvertisementShe says that she can't tell the difference between up and down right now. It's the most crazy feeling. You don't have any control over your body. Even more frightening is that I don't know where I am, nor do I know how I will land. Or what I will land on. head/hands/feet/back. Many of us recognized at the time how impressive it was when Biles landed that vault in competition on her feet, but I dont think we truly understood that it was miraculous.In a post that was raw and heartbreaking, Biles said that she didn't have a poor performance. I've had many bad performances in my career, and I finished the competition.Biles continued that I got so lost that my safety was at stake as well as a team-medal. She ended her tribute with another tribute to Suni, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum who competed in every event of the team competition. They continue to compete and may win hardware. As she assumes the role of loudest fan in an otherwise empty stand, QUEENS! It's a great idea!
