So when Simone Biles, the most highly decorated gymnast in history, took the stage to discuss her career and advocacy work with former UCLA gymnastics head coach Valorie Kondos Field in a closing keynote discussion, her words about seeking help were fitting. The wide-ranging conversation included stories from Kondos Field about trying to recruit Biles, the foundational care Biles receives from her family and her experiences through multiple Olympic Games.
Biles recounted her experience during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which had been delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The expectations that had skyrocketed for her since the 2016 Rio Olympics were starting to pile up. She made international headlines in 2021 when she withdrew from the competition early due to mental health concerns. Though she had seen a sports psychologist earlier in her athletics career, she said she had stopped as she got older because of cost constraints and a misunderstanding of improving mental health in “time frames.”
“I think, as athletes, we’re used to time frames. If I were to sprain my ankle or do something, I go to the doctor and my doctor would say, ‘Three to six weeks rest, you’ll be good,’” she said. “Well, I’m going to my therapist, and it’s been six months and I’m like, ‘This is weird. Why am I not fixed? Am I broken? What’s going on?’”
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles regularly saw a therapist specializing in trauma as she worked on her physical routines, and she said that she had “never been happier competing” because of that change.
Her therapist has since assured her that even if she were to continue seeking support for the rest of her life, that was OK and that she was getting the help that she deserved, even if she felt that she wasn’t progressing. “I think a lot of us are ashamed of that. We think we don’t deserve that help, and we think it’s a burden, all of this stuff, but the greatest you’ll ever be is asking for help because we can’t do this alone,” she said. “If God gave us all the tools, then we’d all be amazing.” Kondos Field added that she required her student-athletes to make an appointment with a sports psychologist when they first joined her team, which helped to reduce the stigma around mental health support.
Biles, who was in foster care as a child and has widely shared her adoption story, hoped to also be more recognized for her work within the foster care community. She discussed her role as the national ambassador of Friends of the Children, a nonprofit organization that pairs underserved youth with mentors.
And while she said that she would continue to be an advocate for mental health, she wanted to make sure her experience wasn’t the only focus.
“After Tokyo, I never wanted to be the poster child. This works for me, but something like talk therapy might work for you, or EMDR [eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy] you might not be a candidate for, or if you want to go to a trauma therapist — I can’t tell you guys what will work for you, but I can walk this journey with you guys, and that’s what I’m going to do,” she said. Kondos Field once more commended Biles for speaking out and prioritizing her mental health, calling her “one of the greatest health advocates of all time.”
