Artistic Gymnastics

[moonvine]

she did come back out with ice on her leg so she may have tweaked something on the landing without actually injuring herself. but its basically been released it was a mental issue.

My whole FB is full of news ranging from “Simone becomes champion for mental health” to “Simone out of Olympics with injury.” One would think some basic fact checking would occur before publishing.

 

[moonvine]

She clearly stated in her press conference that she was not injured! I watched it and the competition live, after her vault she mouthed I can't do this. Obvious she was feeling distressed. I think she did the right thing,no medal is worth risking serious injury. She already stated she felt the pressure. I can't imagine what it must be like for her . That took courage to withdraw. America should be extremely proud of her and the rest of the team fought valiantly and they did their best on the day.

Sorry. I didn’t watch the press conference. I’m watching swimming.

 

[Mauvedreamer]

Sorry. I didn’t watch the press conference. I’m watching swimming.

Don't apologise, i was just trying to clarify very simply what she said. I hope she can regroup. Yes I haven't seen much of the swimming this year or the tennis. Enjoy

 

[moonvine]

People are losing their minds on social media. It’s like it was THEIR gold medal.

 

[TontoK]

People are losing their minds on social media. It’s like it was THEIR gold medal.

Social media is generally a cesspool. Garbage people spewing garbage opinions. Why we encourage people to believe they must share their views on absolutely everything - whether it involves them or not - is beyond me.

I don't do Twitter at all, but I do use Facebook just for a few special interest groups. I also follow some people - skaters included, but mainly diet and exercise folks - on Instagram. I never post, and I never read the comments. I just use it as a newsfeed.

 

[Charlotte 71]

People are losing their minds on social media. It’s like it was THEIR gold medal.

Who cares what people on social media who can't even do a cartwheel think about a young woman who chose take care of her mental health and not take the risk of performing when she was not capable of it? Simone has gone out there and powered through gymnastics competitions hundreds of times in the past, so I think if she said she couldn't do it, then she couldn't do it. And she knew nobody else was going to protect her except herself. Probably every elite gymnast knows before every routine that they are taking a risk of catastrophic injury. I don't know how they do what they do, but obviously it requires airtight concentration. However Simone got into the situation, whether whatever was going on could have been addressed before it escalated, etc., (she was off as a far back as the Olympic Trials, and definitely off in the qualification round, so, I dunno, maybe her injury - mental, physical, whatever - could have been addressed more proactively or timely?), but whatever happened, she still found herself in a moment where she understood that she was not mentally able to perform, and seriously, how dare anybody think they have the right to second-guess that? She's earned all those world titles and Olympic medals, but she hasn't earned the right to assess her own readiness to perform?
Simone is amazing and her withdrawal is a real shame, as is the format of this year's team event, which put a ridiculous amount of pressure on Simone. Maybe things would have been different if she had not been pretty much solely responsible for winning the "can't lose" gold due to the team event format. So glad they are going back to the old format in 2024.
I'll still watch the event tonight on NBC prime time and marvel at the talent of all the gymnasts, not just the Americans. I think the other three USA gymnasts on the team event should be very proud of the silver that they won in these circumstances. The Russian women are having their moment, as the Russian men did yesterday, and seeing them fight for it is what the Olympics are about. The games are not about genuflecting to a legend in the waning phase of her career, even if she is the GOAT. Once somebody has nothing left to prove, how do they find the motivation to go out there and keep proving it? On the other hand, how about Artur Dalaloyan, competing in pain for the gold three months after tearing his Achilles', landing his tumbling passes on one foot during the qualifications and rising to the challenge in the final? That was gripping Olympics stuff, even though I could hardly stand to watch him. As for Simone, a lot of people have been riding her coattails for a long time and counting on her to turn on the magic on cue. She finally didn't turn it on, after, what, like 8 years of being untouchable? It's sports. It happens.

 

[Dreamer57]

I can understand that. Tbh I was bit unfair, the Russian gymnasts do have some elegance and beauty still. I was shocked by how little variation particularly on the beam there is nowadays!

I would recommend watching Sanne Wevers' routine from the 2016 Olympics. To this day it is still one of the best beam routines I have ever seen and I'm so glad it made her Olympic champion!

In terms of elegance my favourite gymnast to watch is Kohei Uchimura, I am still sad about how he went out of his home and final Olympics still a legend in my eyes!

 

[moonvine]

I would recommend watching Sanne Wevers' routine from the 2016 Olympics. To this day it is still one of the best beam routines I have ever seen and I'm so glad it made her Olympic champion!

In terms of elegance my favourite gymnast to watch is Kohei Uchimura, I am still sad about how he went out of his home and final Olympics still a legend in my eyes!

I so wanted to see Sanne’s upgraded routine this season but they didn’t show it.

 

[Amei]

this narrative is so hypocritical.

No, it would be hypocritical to have to emergency WD from a team competition after the first rotation and claim it was due to a "mental break", then turnaround like 2 days later saying your all good to compete for individual titles/medals, where its easy to argue that there will be more pressure/media attention on her due to her WD. If she competes in the individual events, this claim of 'mental break' leading to her WD from the team event sounds like a lie to cover up whatever her real 'reason' for the WD is.

the last five years everyone has been so on board with calling on USAG and the USOC to reform and clean house and for the physical and mental safety of athletes be prioritized over medals. Now everyone says she "bailed on her team" and is selfish, when this is exactly what USAG has needed for YEARS. but now that it's actually happening she is selfish and entitled.

You want to clean up the sport for 'mental safety of athletes over medals'....Well then she's said she had a mental break and needed to WD from the team event; her coaches should step up and say for her safety they are withdrawing her from the individual competitions so that she can get the proper rest and recuperation vs. only having a few days off then trying to push through the individual events where there will be more scrutiny and attention on her which would be bad for her mental health.

 

[wakuwaku]

I know many wouldn't like this comparison but I can't help but notice.. what a difference in attitude between, let's say, Anna Shcherbakova's performance on RusNat competition or Channel One Cup team event - while being in bad health condition - and Simone's withrawing due to 'lost confidence' or 'excessive pressure' despite having teammates relying on you (I have another word for that reason tbh - but let's put it like that). And what difference in fans mentality! While easterners are praising Anna's feat for her power of will or desire to support team at all costs - westerners berate her for the same thing, blaming risking her health too much and viewing it as foolery.
Well, that aside - what I don't get is why everybody are praising Simone for withdrawing? Let's say an athlete is having some problems and withdrawing. That's quite common and natural thing - happens often everywhere. However, are people praising such athletes? No. They can pity them or be sad or be disappointed. That's normal. That I can understand. But praise or even be proud of her? For what? Why? This reaction seems very abnormal to me.

 

[Amei]

I know many wouldn't like this comparison but I can't help but notice.. what a difference in attitude between, let's say, Anna Shcherbakova's performance on RusNat competition or Channel One Cup team event - while being in bad health condition - and Simone's withrawing due to 'lost confidence' or 'excessive pressure' despite having teammates relying on you (I have another word for that reason tbh - but let's put it like that). And what difference in fans mentality! While easterners are praising Anna's feat for her power of will or desire to support team at all costs - westerners berate her for the same thing, blaming risking her health too much and viewing it as foolery.
Well, that aside - what I don't get is why everybody are praising Simone for withdrawing? Let's say an athlete is having some problems and withdrawing. That's quite common and natural thing - happens often everywhere. However, are people praising such athletes? No. They can pity them or be sad or be disappointed. That's normal. That I can understand. But praise or even be proud of her? For what? Why? This reaction seems very abnormal to me.

Because she claimed 'mental health' of some sort as her reason and its very fashionable with the majority of mainstream media right now.

 

[el henry]

To claim "mental health" is *never* fashionable in the US of A. The stigma against mental illness and admitting to mental health issues is real, pervasive, and persists. Simone is brave to say that her mental health is as important as her physical health. Especially since the happy hoo-hah of "We're so tough, we just fight through injuries, that's what real sports people do, grrr, grunt, let's fight fight fight" attitude is so prevalent, sadly, among some sports fans, it is particularly brave. And I don't even watch gymnastics and couldn't tell you the name of one gymnast other than Simone Biles, so it's not like I'm a superfan.

Any athlete who rejects that "grr, grunt, tough" mantra (and I say this as someone who walked ten miles barefoot through the snow to school, uphill both ways) is doing the right thing. For herself, for her teammates, and for her country.

 

[anonymoose_au]

If she competes in the individual events, this claim of 'mental break' leading to her WD from the team event sounds like a lie to cover up whatever her real 'reason' for the WD is.

That's totally unfair. The Team Event has the added pressure of mistakes not just ruining one's own chances but those of your teammates. Simone clearly thought she couldn't do her best for the team and in fact might have messed up their chance to medal at all. She still helped them make the Final and she was still on the sidelines cheering for them (which must have been really difficult).

While easterners are praising Anna's feat for her power of will or desire to support team at all costs - westerners berate her for the same thing, blaming risking her

My issue with Anna wasn't so much that she was risking her own health, but that of others. To compete in an event during a pandemic with a fever, which happens to be the top symptom, just wasn't on. If she wants to risk her own health, that's one thing, but potentially dragging others into it? Not cool.

And I've never been on board with praising athletes for competing with serious injury. Was watching Yuzuru at Cup of China all those years ago with a concussion a crowning moment of sports achievement? No, it was horrifying.

 

[moonvine]

No, it would be hypocritical to have to emergency WD from a team competition after the first rotation and claim it was due to a "mental break", then turnaround like 2 days later saying your all good to compete for individual titles/medals, where its easy to argue that there will be more pressure/media attention on her due to her WD. If she competes in the individual events, this claim of 'mental break' leading to her WD from the team event sounds like a lie to cover up whatever her real 'reason' for the WD is.

People keep saying this, but the primary goal of USA gymnastics is always the team gold. The team is selected that the PTB believe has the best chance of winning the team medal. Not individual medals.

You want to clean up the sport for 'mental safety of athletes over medals'....Well then she's said she had a mental break and needed to WD from the team event; her coaches should step up and say for her safety they are withdrawing her from the individual competitions so that she can get the proper rest and recuperation vs. only having a few days off then trying to push through the individual events where there will be more scrutiny and attention on her which would be bad for her mental health.

She’s going to be evaluated daily.

 

[moonvine]

To claim "mental health" is *never* fashionable in the US of A. The stigma against mental illness and admitting to mental health issues is real, pervasive, and persists. Simone is brave to say that her mental health is as important as her physical health. Especially since the happy hoo-hah of "We're so tough, we just fight through injuries, that's what real sports people do, grrr, grunt, let's fight fight fight" attitude is so prevalent, sadly, among some sports fans, it is particularly brave. And I don't even watch gymnastics and couldn't tell you the name of one gymnast other than Simone Biles, so it's not like I'm a superfan.

Any athlete who rejects that "grr, grunt, tough" mantra (and I say this as someone who walked ten miles barefoot through the snow to school, uphill both ways) is doing the right thing. For herself, for her teammates, and for her country.

I feel like my head is going to start spinning around at any moment.

Not only is she brave to come forward about her mental health issues, which puts her in a class with my Gracie and with Michael Phelps, she was entirely correct to withdraw. She was lost in the air. That’s dangerous enough for a regular gymnast. Let alone one who does a vault that is the equivalent of jumping off a two story building, flipping and twisting on the way down, and landing on her feet.

I watch A LOT of gymnastics, primarily because there is much more of it to watch than there is figure skating, and injuries during meets are very common. Just at Trials a male gymnast tore a bicep and couldn’t compete at all and a female gymnast tore her Achilles, which is extremely common. I’ve seen people break a leg. I saw a gymnast completely shatter both legs and it became her goal to learn to walk again. Simone does not owe us anything. She didn’t take our gold medal away.

This isn’t directed at you el_henry…I should just stay off the Internet during the Olympics.

 

[Mathman]

No, it would be hypocritical to have to emergency WD from a team competition after the first rotation and claim it was due to a "mental break", then turnaround like 2 days later saying your all good to compete for individual titles/medals, where its easy to argue that there will be more pressure/media attention on her due to her WD. If she competes in the individual events, this claim of 'mental break' leading to her WD from the team event sounds like a lie to cover up whatever her real 'reason' for the WD is.

I don't think so. She withdrew from thwe team event because, due to her "demons" as she put it, she was hurting the team. Her disastrous vault alone scored the lowest of any of the top contenders and practically handed the gold medal to Russia. In the state that she was in, the team was strnoger without her.

 

[solani]

I think the Biles' situation is more complex than they will let us know.
We know that she ist on ADHD and anxiety medication. To me it looked as If she lost orientation (or better, the confidence in it) in mid air. That's very dangerous and I think she was smart to stop. Now everyone writes about pressure and depression when there are so many factors possibly contributing to this situation.
Whatever it is, she handled it well imo.
And If it was just a dosage Problem with her usual medication, we nicht see her competing very very soon.

 

[moonvine]

I think the Biles' situation is more complex than they will let us know.
We know that she ist on ADHD and anxiety medication. To me it looked as If she lost orientation (or better, the confidence in it) in mid air. That's very dangerous and I think she was smart to stop. Now everyone writes about pressure and depression when there are so many factors possibly contributing to this situation.
Whatever it is, she handled it well imo.
And If it was just a dosage Problem with her usual medication, we nicht see her competing very very soon.

She’s pulled out of the AA. I’m really quite concerned.

 

[solani]

She’s pulled out of the AA. I’m really quite concerned.

She already did? Now that's really concerning.
I wish her all the best!

 

[ccjump]

Yes it changed a lot. I recommend rewatching 2008 Olympics Floor Routine by Nastia Liukin and Sandra Izbasa. These 2 are my favorites in the recent Olympics. Then it's always the "power" gymnasts who ruled..