There are moments in sports history that go down not for the medals won but for the calls taken. At the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, Simone Biles made headlines exactly for that. She was at the center of the discourse not because of her performance, but for stepping away to protect her mental health. Four years later, the ripple effects of her decision can still be seen in the gymnastics community. And this legend stands by Biles’ powerful decision. How?
“As a mother, I think one of the greatest things that happened to adolescent sports and to professional athletes and just any athlete out there was witnessing on a global stage Simone say my health is more important than the performance, and then she bowed out.“ There were the words of Shawn Johnson East when she was asked about Simone Biles hitting it out at the Olympics. She said that a lot of people might have had a lot of opinions, but to her, as a parent, seeing an athlete prioritize her safety and mental health over a medal was a powerful statement.
On the June 5 episode of Whistle Sports’ Barrier Breakers with host Maddy Kirchofer, Shawn opened up about her admiration for Biles. The mom to three, she reflected, “being able to show that to my kids now and say, look at Simone Biles. She actually said this isn’t safe for her right now, and this is more important to keep her like her body safe than it is to like just push through it.” Johnson further talked of how Biles spearheaded the stereotype of athletes pushing through, and then she inspired a whole movement of it.
Following the exit, the U.S. Olympic Committee and other sports organizations have expanded mental health resources for athletes. The Tokyo Olympics marked a turning point, with athletes openly addressing mental health issues, leading to greater support systems within athletic programs. In the Paris Olympics, a dog was meant to be sent with the US team for emotional support. It was on point when Johnson said, “I feel like for so long we valued only physical attributes and physical strength and physical talent, and now it’s being clearly shown that you have to have both and you have to protect both.”
Credits- Instagram /Shawn Johnson
Shawn’s own journey has been a tough one. In 2010, just before the 2012 London Olympics, Shawn Johnson East suffered a serious injury when she tore her ACL while skiing. This injury, combined with the immense pressure of competing at the highest level, led her to retire earlier than expected, stepping away from gymnastics at just 20 years old. Her decision came at a time when mental health struggles among athletes were rarely acknowledged.
Thus, in her chat, she also said that she wanted to hug Simone Biles and thank her for highlighting how important mental health is. Coming from Shawn Johnson, these words mean a lot because she was a victim of mental health struggles. And she struggled at a time when the notion was that athletes can and should push through.
Shawn Johnson’s own struggle with mental health
Shawn’s empathy for Simone comes from her personal battles. Johnson, under the pressure of elite gymnastics, developed an eating disorder. During her time as a rising star in gymnastics, she felt immense pressure to maintain a certain body image. Things were so for her that today, when she looks back at the kid standing at the 2008 Olympic Podium, she feels sad. She recalled thinking that if she looked thinner, the judges might like her performance better. And the best way to do that? Eat less. And these were times when there were no nutritionists and psychologists around her, and her disorder got worse.
She recalls, “When I started to starve myself and jeopardize my performance, but still win a gold medal, that is probably one of the worst things that could have happened, because that told me it was worth it.” At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Shawn Johnson won four medals: a gold on balance beam, silver in the all-around, silver on floor exercise, and silver with the U.S. team. She retired from the sport in 2012 before the trials, but before that, things only kept getting worse.
“I struggled so much with eating disorders, mental illness, perfectionism because I was trying to transition from being what gymnastics would deem as ‘perfect’ to a normal human being,” she said. “... The only thing I’ve ever known for 16 years, the only thing that I’ve ever made a decision based on is gymnastics. Now that I didn’t have that, I felt lost as a human being.” After she retired, she felt like a free human being. “I was so happy and so free, to be not a part of that world anymore. And that’s where I met my husband, and he completely changed my life,” she said. Life changed, and certainly for the better!
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