"You're the glue to the team" - When Simone Biles opened up expectations about her role in Team USA

Simone Biles once opened up about her role in Team USA. Biles represented the American team at three Games. After her impressive run at the 2016 Games, she led the national team in Tokyo, including Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Grace McCallum.

After her Rio Olympics medal streak, she became a household name to win five individual Olympic gold medals at a single edition. Biles started feeling the weight of expectations on her shoulders. Along with this, she also played an important role in the team, supporting and inspiring the team members at each step.

In an interview with nbcolympics.com in August 2021, Biles reflected on her role in the team and stated that being called "the glue to the team" stressed her.

"[Being the face of the Games] really didn't affect me, it was just what I wanted to accomplish and what I wanted to do, and how everybody was like, 'you're the glue to the team,' and that really stressed me out because I never thought of it that way," Biles explained. "But then whenever it's being shoved down your throat it's just like, 'So then if I have a bad practice, then the girls are off.' It's just hard."

Simone Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics after experiencing 'twisties.'

Simone Biles once got real about withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles of Team United States at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles decided to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics after competing on the vault. She started experiencing 'twisties,' a phenomenon in which gymnasts experience a loss of sync between their mind and body in the air. While speaking to olympics.com in 2022, she reflected on the decision, stating the team's chances of winning medals were higher after her withdrawal. The American gymnast showed confidence in her team members' ability to achieve success.

“I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat to work on my mindfulness, and I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job,” Simone Biles explained. “I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screw-ups because they've worked way too hard for that. So, I just decided that those girls need to go in and do the rest the competition.”

Before her withdrawal, Biles won a silver and a bronze medal in team and balance beam events, respectively

Edited by pranavsethii