“Why am I here? What am I doing?- When Simone Biles opened up about struggling with changes on her return to the gym after two years…

Simone Biles’ gymnastics career so far has been nothing short of spectacular, courtesy of her 11 Olympic and 30 World Championships medals. In an interview in 2018, Biles opened up about her struggles with returning to the mat after a break of almost two years following her Rio Olympics campaign.

She made her Olympic debut during the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the age of 16, and clinched four gold medals in team, all-around, vault, and floor exercise and a bronze medal in the balance beam event.

Her impressive run of victories in Brazil earned her significant popularity, opening doors to new opportunities. However, the whirlwind of activities forced her to keep distance from the gym for two years.

Between her 2016 Rio Games appearance and her comeback at the 2018 U.S Classic, Biles authored her autobiography Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance along with journalist Michelle Burford.

The American favorite also made an appearance on the 24th season of Dancing With The Stars alongside pro dancer Sasha, where she finished in fourth place. In an interview with The Guardian in 2018 about her comeback, Biles reflected on the mental and physical challenges during the transition.

“It’s hard mentally and physically,” she said. “I remember some of the days I’m like: ‘Why am I here? What am I doing? What did I do?’ But in the end, it’s all worth it, so I’m happy with my decision to return,” she said.

“I just know I’m helping people out there” – Simone Biles weighs in on mental health journey

In an interview with CNN on November 1, 2024, Simone Biles weighed in her thoughts on mental health and acknowledged that everyone has a unique mental health journey. She further said that although she doesn’t view herself as a definitive example, she is committed to supporting anyone navigating mental health challenges..

“Everybody’s mental health journey is unique. I’m not the poster child for it, but I’ll support (anyone’s) mental health journey. Now people come up to me and they’re like, ‘I’ve been in therapy for the first time in my life, and thank you so much. There’s power in that. And I just know I’m helping people out there,” Simone Biles said..

Biles became actively vocal about mental health care following her appearance at the Tokyo Games, where she withdrew from competing in the final round to prioritize her mental health.