Simone Biles: ‘I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics’

American gymnastics star Simone Biles says the public reaction to her decision to withdraw from the team and individual all-around events has given her a fuller appreciation of herself as a person, beyond the trophies and medals.

“The outpouring love & support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before,” Biles wrote via Twitter on Thursday.

Biles retweeted some of those messages of support, including a tweet from Hoda Kotb calling Biles a “class act.”

Someone said it best. @Simone_Biles already won. She is a class act. Withdrew from team competion after vault... stayed and cheered on her teammates... got them chalk for their hands.. encouraged.. hugged them. She already won. Congrats on the silver medal! @TeamUSA @USAGym

— Hoda Kotb (@hodakotb) July 27, 2021

Biles also retweeted a note from Washington Post sports writer Emily Giambalvo confirming Biles had the “twisties.”

Simone Biles, relating to gymnasts worldwide here: "They saw it a little bit in practice. Having a little bit of the twisties."

The twisties. The absolute worst.

— Emily Giambalvo (@EmilyGiam) July 27, 2021

The first sign that Biles was experiencing the “twisties” came during the team all-around final on Monday, when she executed a 1 ½ twisting vault instead of the planned 2 ½ twists before pulling out of the competition altogether.

The phenomenon, which is relatively common in gymnastics, results in a disconnect between the mind and the body. The athlete essentially gets lost in the air and loses control during a twist they have previously executed countless times. Once the “twisties” settle in, they are hard to shake and can be extremely dangerous for a gymnast attempting the most challenging moves.

Biles and USA Gymnastics have yet to confirm her participation in the individual apparatus event finals next week.