Olympics: Simone Biles has withdrawn

10 thoughts on “Olympics: Simone Biles has withdrawn”

1. Sure, Tucker.

2. Simone Biles has been the world champion for the better part of 8 years, doing things that nobody else has done, and by most accounts is the best ever. She’s now 24, past the typical retirement age for gymnasts.

   The timing isn’t great, but something is telling her now she can’t do it any more, and she risks serious and permanent injury if she’s not physically and mentally 100%. Maybe that’s would some would like to see.

   She has absolutely nothing left to prove, the expert opinions in here notwithstanding.

3. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it’s good to prioritize mental health over anything, especially a sport. There are horror stories of gymnasts and ballerinas who were practically abused physically and emotionally in the name of winning. They would be pressured to go on diets to remain below 98 lbs.

   On the other hand… quit at this level? You’ve made it back to the top. There is nothing to prove; you’re a winner, and even if you don’t win a medal here, you are still the greatest gymnast ever. You didn’t have to be here, but here you are and you worked hard to get here. Why quit now?

   If it was a man, he’d be called weak. But that’s probably also considered toxic masculinity, not being tough enough or man enough to continue.

   But still, pulling out of the Olympics after fucking up a vault? Kerri Strug didn’t quit.

   1. Still comparing it to boxing, I remember when massive giant Vitali Klitschko quit on his stool against anemic weakling Chris Byrd, because he hurt his arm. But that, I understand. The man was injured & didn’t want to ruin his career. Take the loss and recover. In Biles’ case, she wasn’t injured at all; said things like the Olympics aren’t as “fun” as she thought, and “it’s a lot of pressure.” A couple tennis players have done the same thing recently. It’s a disturbing trend. Let’s just give up, rather than try, because we feel pressure, and it’s not “fun” — knowing people will attribute it to our “mental health” and call us “courageous.”

   2. I haven’t watched any of the Olympics broadcast and probably haven’t seen as much a whole minute of highlights. I am hardly an expert on gymnastics either. But I read a defense of Biles earlier today that seemed pretty compelling to me. Apparently, the video of her awkward vault landing shows that she got “lost in the air” which supposedly refers to a gymnast becoming disoriented and losing awareness of the ground while in the air. That is supposedly an extremely dangerous thing to happen to a gymnast and something that can be difficult to overcome in the short term. As I said, I have no way to know how much of any of that is true. But ultimately, the decision was hers. Winning Olympic gold takes much more than talent. It takes drive and determination, something that she must have had 4 years ago. If she decided to walk away now, she must have had a reason. I can barely climb a flight of stairs (and even for that I require performance enhancing drugs), what right do I have to judge her?

      1. I think what bothers me is the fact that from the outside, it looks like she just quit. She quit on her team, and she quit on herself. Now instead of being known as a great Olympic champion, she’s going to be known as someone who quit, much like how Robin Williams is known as someone who tragically committed suicide (I can no longer watch any of his movies without a little bit of sadness knowing what happens to him years later).

         Now, if it’s true that she got “lost in the air” and that it’s very dangerous if she continues, then I understand. She could get paralyzed or killed if she can’t keep it together. And that would be the same as anyone withdrawing because of an injury. So if that’s the case, then good for her for having the courage to withdraw and admit that she’s unable to continue. For me that’s the big difference between “quitting because you think you’re going to suck” or “withdrawing because you truly cannot continue.”

         1. Complete horseshit.

            19 World gold medals. 4 Olympic gold medals. The only American female to win a World in every event.

            The wiki page speaks for itself:

            The only people who will remember her as a “quitter” are the couch morons who only pay attention two weeks every four years.

4. How Lewis ever lost to those two stiffs, the “Atomic Bull” creature and the other guy, I’ll never quite figure out.

   1. McCall had great advice from Manny Steward, who taught him how to counter Lewis’ sneaky ‘distracting left instantaneously followed by haymaker right’ move. But it wasn’t a true knockout; Lennox was up quickly but the ref bogusly called it because he was a little shaky. The Rahman KO was legit; Lennox was playing around, laughing, and got caught.

5. I wonder if Lennox Lewis’ career would’ve turned out the same if, before he fought Riddick Bowe in the 1988 Olympics, he’d forfeited, saying “I feel nervous about it, I don’t know if I can win, so the hell with it.” I wonder if people would’ve rushed to say, “His mental health comes first. He’s so courageous for giving up.”

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