Simone Biles’s exit from the Team USA Olympic Finals is a very brave move on the part of a gymnast, who was tipped for a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2021, after a string of triumphs, earning herself a stellar reputation as a gymnast. She was carrying a huge burden of expectations on her shoulders and it was widely believed that her team would bring home the gold. She was expected to smash many records.

Gymnasts are under a lot of pressure to perform and deliver in a world that is centred on winning the gold. The mental and physical well-being of the athletes is often relegated to the back burner, as we also saw in the case of Naomi Osaka, who earlier exited two Grand Slam tournaments. She too was determined to prioritise her mental health over sporting success and citing mental health reasons, refused to participate in the press conferences after the matches.

Biles is another example of an extremely competitive athlete who was expected to bring home the gold. She very boldly took a step back, took a deep breath and announced that she was not in the mental and physical frame of mind to compete. This candid confession sheds light on a very important issue. Do we value the mental and physical welfare of our athletes? As long as they are bringing in the gold medals, are their personal battles none of our concern?

Sports are about team-work, bonding and working together to do your best. Biles rooted for her team from the side-lines. Later, at a press conference, she underlined the importance of looking after the physical and mental well-being of athletes, who often have to compete under very challenging circumstances, sometimes at the risk of aggravating injuries.

Biles has earned worldwide admiration for addressing the issue so candidly and by making the world realise that she is only human and, even with her iron resolve and exterior, can crumble under the weight of great expectations. In fact, the bronze she won on Tuesday in the balance beam category, the final segment of the competition, is seen by some as marginal to the laurels she has won. She is still referred to by many as a four times Olympic gold medallist although she has won five medals, including the bronze.

After her exit, her team won a silver medal and although she disappointed a number of people with her exit, she also won many hearts for being so open and candid about the demons she has been fighting after attaining international fame and recognition for being an outstanding gymnast. However, international success and fame also seems to have triggered some mental health issues – she feels overwhelmed and crushed by the weight of the expectations.

The TV coverage of Biles was not as scathing as it could have been, owing largely to the courageous way in which she tackled the issue. In a world where only perfection is valued, being less than perfect or admitting weakness does not win you any brownie points with the crowd or your fan base. Simone Biles should be applauded for her courage and for showing us that athletes are also human and fallible and can crumble under excessive pressure to do their best. Meditation and mindfulness help athletes pull into the present and should now become an integral part of the routine, designated to nurture not only the physical but also the mental well-being of athletes.

After the pandemic, obviously, athletes are feeling the pressure also and we forget that they have been practicing under really gruelling circumstances and are expected to follow punishing routines and practice for long hours. Their diet and nutrition is monitored, but we sometimes forget that they have to be both physically and mentally fit and healthy to perform at their best. Full concentration is required and a split-second of negligence can result in an injury.

The Olympics have not garnered as much worldwide focus and attention as before, largely because the world is still recovering from the pandemic. The humongous, empty stadiums also tend to put people off. The audience misses the frenzied excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd, rooting for their favourites. Let’s hope that by the time the next Olympics roll around, the world will have put this pandemic well and truly behind it and we will once again be able celebrate the joy of being alive and being able to enjoy all the things that we took for granted prior to the onset of this pandemic. Till then, keep tuning in and rooting for your favourite teams.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com