American gymnast Simone Biles made global headlines when she pulled out of the women’s team final as well as several individual events at the Tokyo Olympics last month. She said she was “prioritising her mental health over all else”.
It seems Biles had an attack of the “twisties”, what gymnasts call the apparently common problem of feeling like you’ve lost your sense of space and dimension while in mid-air. Which is a really bad time to lose your sense of space and dimension! Biles’ plight has been supported by most, and has really shone the spotlight on the mental wellbeing of athletes.