Simone Biles Reflects on Paris Olympics After Suffering Twisties in Tokyo: ‘It Meant the World’

Simone Biles ’ redemption tour is complete. After winning four medals — three gold, one silver — at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the artistic gymnast reflected on how much it meant to her to return to the games following her frightening experience with the twisties at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"It was important for me because nobody forced me to be out there on that stage,” the record-breaking athlete, 27, told CNN’s Coy Wire on Tuesday, August 6. “I solely did it for myself, and I'm in a really good spot mentally and physically. So, doing this for just me, it meant the world.”

At the Tokyo Olympics, which took place in summer 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simone withdrew from four gymnastics events .

“After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health,” a statement from the sport’s governing body read. “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”

The gold medalist was said to be suffering from the twisties, a condition where a gymnast loses awareness while they are in mid-air, typically due to a mental block. This makes it difficult to land safely.

“It doesn’t feel comfortable, I have no idea where I am, but I’m twisting, praying I land on my feet,” Simone told Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in April. “I felt like I was fighting my body and my mind to do these tricks.”

She continued, “Your mind and your body are at a disconnect. Your body is going to try to do something, and your mind is going to be like, ‘No, you’re not doing this.’”

Though Simone did not compete in the individual all-around final, the uneven bars final, the vault final and the floor final at the 2020 Olympics, she returned for the beam final and took home a bronze medal after performing a scaled-down version of her routine.

Simone had an incredible run at the Paris Olympics, starting with a gold medal in the team all-around final on July 30. She later won gold again in the individual all-around final on August 1, followed by a third gold medal in the vault final on August 3. Finally, Simone won a silver medal in the floor final on Monday, August 5.

Though Simone said she worked through her experience with the twisties in therapy, she admitted to having some doubts leading up to the Paris Olympics. However, she simply reflected on what she had learned in therapy to deal with those negative thoughts.

“Obviously, you always have those thoughts coming in the back of your head, but just trying to stay as positive as possible — going back to what I know and thinking about my therapy tactics, and it worked,” she explained in her CNN interview.

During an appearance on Hoda Kotb ’s “Making Space” podcast on July 31, Simone gushed about how much therapy helped her ahead of her Olympics return.

“I feel a lot more free, especially going to therapy and doing those sessions so that physically and mentally I feel better, and I know that’s an important part of my routine,” she said. “So just staying on top of that, it lightens the load a lot.”