05/18/2026
In Tokyo 2021, Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympic team final mid-competition, citing a dangerous disorientation gymnasts call the twisties. The world had opinions.
The twisties are not nerves. They are a neurological disconnect between mind and body that causes gymnasts to lose spatial awareness mid-air. At her level, competing through them does not mean a bad score. It means a broken neck.
Biles was already the most decorated American gymnast in history when she made that call, with 19 World Championship gold medals to her name. Three years later in Paris 2024, she returned to the Olympic stage and won three gold medals and a silver, becoming the oldest American woman to win an individual gymnastics gold at 27. She finished with 11 Olympic medals total, more than any other American gymnast in history.
The Tokyo withdrawal was not the pause before the comeback. It was the decision that made the comeback possible at all.
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