Simone Biles Gives Update on ‘Twisties’ Recovery Following Olympics

Simone Biles removed herself from nearly all of the events she was scheduled to compete in during the Tokyo Olympics due to her mental health and suffered from the “twisties,” a gymnastics phenomenon that causes athletes to become unable to discern where they are in the air while performing tricks, which could lead to a potentially fatal injury. In a new interview with PEOPLE, Biles shared an update on how she’s doing, revealing that she returned to the gym on Monday for the “first time” since the Olympics with her coach Laurent Landi.

“I have been to the gym and did a little bit of working out,” she said. “When I say work out, it’s very light. I’m enjoying my time at home and I’m happy to be back.” Biles also shared that Landi had her start out with the basics. “He was like, ‘Okay, well I need you to go on the tramp and do a full-in, that’s all I care about,’” she recalled, referencing a full-twisting double back, which requires her to perform two flips backward. “I started doing a couple fulls and on the first one, it was literally like second nature again.”

“It’s frustrating because I can do everything again. I don’t know … the stress, anxiety, the build-up or whatever happened, happened,” she continued. “Laurent kind of called it [in Tokyo], he was like, ‘The annoying part is we’re going to go home in a week or more. You’re going to go back in the gym, and you’re going to be able to do everything.’ I did a double-double (two somersaults and two twists mid-air) [back in Texas]; I mean, it was pretty low but so far so good.”

The 24-year-old noted that “it’s kind of been a whirlwind” since she returned from Tokyo, “but I have had a lot of time at home, which has been super nice.” “Just to be home, be with friends and family, to decompress has been really nice,” she said.

Next month, Biles will headline the Athleta Presents Gold Over America Tour, allowing fans to see their favorite gymnasts perform live. The GOAT will be joined by Team USA gymnasts Jade Carey and MyKayla Skinner, who won gold and silver medals, respectively, in individual competitions at the Olympics, and Biles’ teammates Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum, with whom she won silver in the team all-around competition.