Simone Biles just won a major award four months after competing in the Tokyo Olympics. On Thursday, Time Magazine named Biles the 2021 Athlete of the Year for not only adding more Olympic medals to her collection but also raising awareness of mental health after withdrawing from multiple events at the Olympic games.
“I do believe everything happens for a reason, and there was a purpose,” Biles told Time. “Not only did I get to use my voice, but it was validated as well.” During the Olympics, Biles experienced the “twisties” and lost herself in the air. It led to her withdrawing from the team competition among other events and didn’t return until the balance beam where she won the bronze medal. Biles won a total of two medals at the Olympics and now has seven, the most by a U.S. gymnast, as mentioned by Yahoo Sports.
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“We all knew we had to continue not without her, but for her,” Sunisa Lee said who won all-around gold in Tokyo. “What Simone did changed the way we view our well-being, 100%. It showed us that we are more than the sport, that we are human beings who also can have days that are hard. It really humanized us.” After the Olympics, Biles gave a testimony before the Senate about how the FBI and USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee filed to stop former team doctor Larry Nassar from sexually abusing her and hundreds of other athletes.
Colin Kaepernick also showed love to Biles for taking a stand. “Simone Biles has used her remarkable position as the world’s greatest gymnast ever to inspire a long-overdue global conversation on mental health,” he said. “Her influence extends far beyond the realm of sports and shows us that another world—a better world—is possible when we speak our truths with integrity and authenticity.”
NBA All-Star Kevin Love is impressed how much of an impact Biles has made this year. “Sacrifice gives back way more than it costs,” Love said who opened about having panic attacks in 2018. “I do believe that it often takes one person to change the trajectory of a whole system.” Along with the seven Olympic medals, Biles has won 25 World Championship medals making her one of the decorated gymnasts of all time.
