Simone Biles has broken her silence with a heartfelt post after pulling out of events at the Olympics in order to prioritize her mental health.
On Tuesday, July 27, it was announced that the 24-year-old gold medalist had withdrawn from the women's team all-around gymnastics final, and the following day, she pulled out of the individual all-around final.
Her decision has received a great deal of attention and sparked an ongoing discussion on the importance of taking care of your mental health.
Now, Biles has taken the time to thank her supporters in the wake of her unexpected exit, tweeting: "The outpouring love & support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before."
While the Team USA superstar has not gone into detail about her mental health struggles, she did retweet a post that speculated on the terror she must have felt after "[balking] mid-air and accidentally [doing] a 1.5 on her first vault instead of a 2.5."
The first rotation of the women's team final had actually seen the athlete score her lowest Olympic vault score.
The statement retweeted by Biles, which was written by former gymnast Andrea Orris, went on to comment on the gymnast's past trauma as a victim of abuse by former team doctor Larry Nassar.
It read: "We are talking about the same girl who was molested by her team doctor throughout her entire childhood and teenage years.
"That girl has endured more trauma by the age of 24 than most people will ever go through in a lifetime."
Per CNN, Biles was one of over 150 gymnasts who accused the former US Olympics team doctor of sexual abuse.
On December 7, 2017, the disgraced medic was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on charges of indecent images of minors.
He was later given a sentence of up to 175 years in Michigan state prison after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.
Per New York Post, Biles opened up about her struggle with depression in her docu-series Simone vs. Herself after years of abuse by Nassar.
As for Biles' potential participation in later events in the Games, her mental health will "continue to be evaluated daily".
