Simone

Three years ago I sat in a small room in an out-of-town gym in America and interviewed a young former gymnast, a victim of sexual abuse by now-imprisoned USA Gymnastics team doctor, Larry Nassar.

She wanted to raise awareness, she bravely explained. But as we talked, her slim shoulders slumped and her resolute face clouded. The trauma of her experience was evident and she decided not to publish her story.

Simone Biles, at 24 not much older than that peer, has openly spoken of being one of Nassar’s over 150 victims, too.

The only one to be competing in the Tokyo Olympics.

The only one to stand tall on a global stage under stark spotlights, while fiercely advocating for all survivors and lobbying USA Gymnastics to launch an independent investigation into the scandal.

Oh, and trying to win Olympic gold numerous times over, too.

Earlier this year, she said: “I had to come back to the sport to be a voice, to have change happen.”

Taking to the floor, she carried the expectations of both her country and the world on her shoulders, plus the pressure of four previous Olympic gold medal wins. And this – a personal history and platform as role model she never wanted.

In that context, her honest admittance she cannot continue to compete because she has to focus on her mental health comes as no surprise at all. Of course she is struggling.

And it is absolutely right it is guarded, as you would guard a physical injury. Who criticised Andy Murray when he pulled out of the singles tennis because of a thigh strain to protect future performances? That was deemed sensible.

An elite sportswoman would not take these decisions lightly. They are driven by a fierce competitive desire to win, and perhaps in Biles’ case, an even more potent personal drive to do so as a survivor, and for her fellow survivors.

That she is at these Olympics at all, demonstrates unbelievable grit.

She knows full well too, how physically dangerous it would be for her head not to be 100% present as she competes.

Critics might point to an over-use of mental health in recent months by young sports stars.

Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open this year admitting she has “huge waves of anxiety”.

Eighteen-year-old Emma Raducanu withdrew from her fourth-round Wimbledon match, stating later that the “whole experience caught up with me” after experiencing breathing difficulties and dizziness on the court.

The “snowflake” term is scattered easily.

But put yourselves for a second in the training shoes of these young athletes and ask yourself if withdrawing from competition can ever be an easy way out?

Ferociously driven, they have committed their whole lives to perfecting their sport. Their very purpose is to succeed.

And then we come to the person behind the athlete.

As Biles reminds us, she is not just a GOAT – Greatest Of All Time.

Away from the cameras, social media, the mats and vaults, role model, athlete and advocate Biles is human, too. She will have a long life after gymnastics, and she needs to protect it.

USA gymnast Simone Biles has withdrawn from five of six finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and hit back at those simply saying she quit.

Most recently, the 24-year-old pulled out of the women’s floor exercise that is due to commence tomorrow.

The USA Gymnastics team confirmed the multi-time Olympic champ’s withdrawal and provided an update on if she will compete in the beam final towards the end of next week.

“Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor and will make a decision on beam later this week. Either way, we’re all behind you, Simone.”

Biles has also pulled out of the individual all-around, vault, bars due to a mental and to prioritise her mental health.

The gymnast is suffering from Twisties, a mental block that sees competitors lose their sense of spatial awareness. As a result, Biles is unable to perform at her best.

She took to Instagram on Friday and posted a video of herself on Instagram attempting two dismounts on the uneven bars into a foam pit.

On both occasions she lost track of herself in the air, which puts her at risk while performing.

Biles wrote: “For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit, my mind and body are simply not in sync as you can see here.

“I don’t think you realise how dangerous this is on a hard/competition surface.”

After making uncharacteristic errors during the all round team event at the 2020 Olympics, Biles decided to withdraw from competition and has been cheering on her teammates as they bid for Olympic glory.

Will we see the gymnastics legend compete again in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games? Only time will tell.

Read More

Read More

Olympic champion Simone Biles and a number of other women who are victims of sexual assault by sports doctor Larry Nassar are seeking over $1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop him when they first received allegations against him.

On Wednesday, lawyers declared there’s no dispute that the FBI were aware that Nassar – who is now in prison – had been accused of assaulting gymnasts in 2015, but they failed to act appropriately. As a result, he continued to target and prey on young women and girls for more than a year.

Nassar pleaded guilty in 2017 and is serving decades in federal prison. Maggie Nichols, a national champion gymnast at Oklahoma from 2017-2019, said: “It is time for the FBI to be held accountable.”

In accordance with federal law, a government agency now has six months to respond to the tort claims filed on Wednesday. Depending on the FBI’s response, lawsuits could follow as approximately 90 claimants – including Olympic gold medalists Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney – seek damages.

“If the FBI had simply done its job, Nassar would have been stopped before he ever had the chance to abuse hundreds of girls, including me,” said former University of Michigan gymnast Samantha Roy.

In 2015, USA Gymnastics informed local FBI agents that three gymnasts claimed they were assaulted by Nassar, who was working as a team doctor for the Indianapolis-based body. However, the FBA failed to open a formal investigation or even inform federal and state authorities in Michigan, according to the Justice Department’s inspector general.

A year later, FBI agents in Los Angeles began a sexual tourism investigation against Nassar and interviewed several victims but also reportedly failed to alert Michigan authorities, the inspector general said. Nassar wasn’t arrested until fall 2016 when he was working as a doctor at Michigan State during an investigation by Michigan State University police.

The Michigan attorney general’s office dealt with the assault charges against the disgraced 58-year-old. Federal prosecutors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, filed a child pornography case.

FBI director Christopher Wray admitted to major mistakes when he addressed victims at a Senate hearing last year: “I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed. And that’s inexcusable.”

Biles, considered the greatest gymnast in history as she has claimed 23 gold medals in the Olympics and World Championships, used the hearing to declare an ‘entire system’ enabled Nassar’s abuse. Maroney suggested the FBI’s agent’s reaction to the news was ‘dead silence’.

In May, the US Justice Department announced it would not go forwards with criminal charges against former agents who were accused of giving inaccurate or incomplete responses during the inspector general’s investigation, who was acting as an independent watchdog.

Michigan State University, which was accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500m – approximately £400m – to over 300 women and girls affected by Nassar’s actions. USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380m (£303m) settlement.

Read More

Read More