Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
With 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship wins, Simone Biles is considered one of the best gymnasts of all time. Still, even she has to deal with negativity online.
Reading such harsh words can be difficult, so the 28-year-old has learned to protect herself by turning off the comments on social media.
She also reminds herself: “They don’t know me, and they don’t know my character, so how can they judge through a screen?”
During an event in Hong Kong hosted by UBS in May, Biles spoke to more than 500 students – many of them budding gymnasts – about maintaining her mental health while also having a record-breaking career.
“Obviously, it’s such an honour, but it can be really tough,” she said.
Putting mental health first
In 2021, Biles stunned the world at the Tokyo Olympics when she withdrew from several events, including the team final, all-around final, and individual event finals.
The reason for her decision was a mental condition called the “twisties”, which can make gymnasts feel like they are not in control of their movements and can lead to serious injuries.
Biles looks back on the experience positively and is proud that she put her mental health first.
“It’s the most courageous I’ve ever felt,” she said. “The number one reason why I did it was to speak out and stand up for myself. I felt worth more than gold.”
Having a strong support system helped her feel confident about her decision.
“Having people in your circle of trust that help you and you can confide in really, really helps,” she explained.
Three years later, Biles competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics and took home three gold medals and one silver.
Meaning of mentorship
Outside of gymnastics, Biles is also passionate about supporting children in the foster care community.
When she was only three years old, she and her siblings entered foster care because their biological mother could not take care of them. After a few years, Biles was adopted by her grandfather and his wife.
“I never let what happened to me stop me from believing in my dreams,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how you start; it matters where your journey takes you and how you walk that path.”
For the last few years, she has worked with Friends of the Children, which pairs children in need of long-term, nurturing relationships with an older mentor.
“A lot of people think that foster kids can’t do great things, but I think we’ve proven over so many years [we can],” she said.
Biles offered a tip for staying motivated and avoiding burnout: make sure you’re always having fun.
“Dream big, and then dream bigger after that,” she said. “As long as you’re having fun, you can accomplish anything and love what you do.”
