Simone Biles avoids Olympic Village cafeteria due to popularity, triggering anxiety

Aside from winning a pair of Olympic gold medals, Simone Biles hasn’t done much with her time in Paris.

Jokes aside, Olympic athletes are not permitted to leave the Olympic village and have to stay within its parameters. Unfortunately, Biles’ popularity has left her couped up in her room for the most part, she said.

“I have not done much around the Olympic village,” she said . “And it’s because the first day that we got here, and I got to the cafeteria, a lot of people were asking me for photos non-stop and whenever I sat down to eat, my anxiety was so bad I was shaking. I couldn’t stop shaking.

“I was so overwhelmed and so for a little while — I went to cafeteria with my friend yesterday, but before that, I haven’t gone back to the cafeteria for like five days. I just go to the store, stock up on food and just stay [in my room] because it gets me so anxious.”

Biles is a big fish in a big pond, which means she sticks out from the rest. The most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history with eight medals, Biles was the talk of Olympic play well before the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

She famously withdrew herself from multiple events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in an attempts to prioritize her mental health and safety. Biles dubbed her Olympic run in 2024 a redemption tour, and two gold medals later she has more than exceeded expectations in Paris over the past week.

As Biles’ popularity skyrockets, there will always be critics. That includes US gymnast Mykayla Skinner , who went on record saying that Team USA’s Olympic squad didn’t have the work ethic that some of the teams in the past have.

After Team USA’s gymnastics squad claimed gold during the 2024 Paris Olympics team final on Tuesday, Simone Biles wasted no time appearing to put the former gymnast on blast by posting a photo to Instagram that called her team a bunch of “lack of talent, lazy Olympic champions.”

Biles has two more chances to secure gold during her stay in Paris. She’ll compete in the Women’s Vault final at 10:20 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, before competing in the Uneven Bars final on Sunday at 9:40 a.m. ET. She’ll look to add to her historic medal count in both events, which will air like on Peacock.

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