Simone Biles Named TIME Magazine’s Athlete Of The Year In 2021

Dec 10, 2021 by apost team

With four gold medals and a record-breaking career, Simone Biles isn’t only the face of gymnastics. Just as Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt were, she has also become the face of the entire U.S. Olympic team — a star athlete who seems unstoppable and superhuman. Ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Biles demonstrated her superhuman athleticism at the 2021 U.S. Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was there that the 24-year-old gymnast won gold, in part for being the first woman in history to successfully execute a dazzling and difficult Yurchenko double pike in vault.

Biles announced her withdrawal from the all-around competition at the Olympics on July 28, 2021, citing her mental health. The athlete’s July 28 decision came a day after Biles opted not to compete in the team final after doing one rotation because of her mental state.

During the team event, Biles’ withdrawal ended with the U.S. women taking silver, losing to the Russian Olympic Committee. It was the first time that the U.S. women haven’t won gold in the team event since 2010.

However, the loss of the medals did not compare to the strong message that Biles was sending to the world: "Your mental health always comes first."

In a world that expects perfection and "pushing forward despite the circumstances," Biles showed that taking care of yourself is more important than anything else. It is no wonder that Biles has now been named "Athlete Of The Year" by TIME Magazine. Read on to know more about what set Biles apart from the rest. 

In her interview in November 2021, Biles told TIME Magazine,

"I do believe everything happens for a reason, and there was a purpose," and added, "Not only did I get to use my voice, but it was validated as well."

While there was a lot of support for Biles after her withdrawal, she also had to face a large number of critics who lambasted her for being a "quitter." When asked how this affected her, Biles said,

"If I were going to quit, I had other opportunities to quit. There is so much I’ve gone through in this sport, and I should have quit over all that—not at the Olympics. It makes no sense." 

Along with advocating for mental health and battling the stigma athletes face for mental health issues, Biles also spoke out against former team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused members of the gymnastics team. TIME Magazine reported that they also commended Biles's courage and vulnerability as she gave her emotional testimony before the Senate about the failures of institutions like the FBI, USA Gymnastics (USAG) and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to stop Nassar's awful actions.

Biles continues to push for USAG and USOPC to be held responsible is part of what’s driven her over the past few years. The burden that she carries is large, and she said, 

"I definitely do think it had an effect. It’s a lot to put on one person. I feel like the guilt should be on them and should not be held over us. They should be feeling this [pain], not me."

With her courage to speak out, resilience and serving as a beacon of light to remove the stigma from mental health issues, Biles certainly deserves her recognition as TIME's "Athelete Of The Year." 

apost.com

What do you think about Simone Biles being named "Athlete Of The Year"? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this story on to your friends and family as well.