"The weakest I've ever been mentally"- Simone Biles opens up about vulnerable Olympics moment despite being her strongest mentally

Simone Biles shared that she felt mentally her weakest despite being her best physically during the vault maneuver that forced her to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Biles couldn't compete in the team and individual all-around competitions, thus missing title defense at the Japanese capital.

Simone Biles came off as the four-time gold medalist when she graced the Tokyo Olympic stage. She was off to a good start, but during warm-ups for the first rotation in the team finals, she faced a setback mid-air in the Amanar vault, nearly falling on landing, and scored just 13.766. The 28-year-old walked out of the rest of the competitions, citing 'twisties', a mental block when a gymnast loses control between body and mind mid-air.

Biles recently attended a special panel to discuss her eponymous Netflix docuseries, Simone Biles Rising. At the event, she reflected on the heartbreaking moment and revealed that she was in her worst mental state despite being physically fit.

"I look back at that clip and I'm like, damn, that's the fittest I've ever been, the strongest I've ever been, but the weakest I've ever been mentally. I chose myself for once. In gymnastics, that's usually typically not the case." (beginning 0:54)

During that time, tennis player Naomi Osaka, who also withdrew from the 2021 French Open and Wimbledon due to mental health reasons, extended her wishes to Simone Biles.

The latter shared the anecdote and expressed how Osaka had inspired her in various ways.

"I'm so bad at texting back. But she's inspired me in so many more ways than just being dominant recently. I know she knows exactly the feeling that I was going through, so it's nice to relate to somebody on that high level," she told to ESPN in 2021.

Biles only won bronze in the balance beam and silver in the team event.

Simone Biles once received acclaim from track legend Usain Bolt for addressing her mental health issues

Biles at the 2025 TIME100 Gala - (Source: Getty)

Usain Bolt, the greatest track and field athlete and the 100m and 200m world record holder, competed in his last Games in the 2016 Rio. In May 2025, Bolt reflected on Simone Biles' decision to end her Tokyo Olympic stint by prioritizing mental health and appreciated her for her move.

"Personally, I really appreciate Simone Biles for pushing off the Olympics," Bolt says. "It's always good to take care of yourself first, and then everything will fall into place. So I'm very happy that she understood that. I have to take care of myself first, and then we'll see what happens down the road. But right now I'm thinking about me." (via yahoo.com)

Biles was recently in a feud with former swimmer Riley Gaines, slamming the latter for calling out a transgender athlete on Chaplin High School's girls' softball team. Though the multiple-time World and Olympic medalist issued an apology, she received bullying accusations from former gymnast, MyKayla Skinner.

Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder