She stepped out of the team competition yesterday, and I'm hearing a certain amount of smack talk from people about how she "choked."
And I mean, maybe. Arguably, one of the most important parts of being a Olympic or professional athlete is the ability to be tough enough to perform under unimaginable amounts of stress.
But does anyone remember that Simone Biles, in addition to being the best gymnast in the history of the sport, is a survivor of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse? She is, I think, the only survivor of his abuse who is still competing in the sport. And she is not only competing, she is reinventing the sport with the new moves she is creating.
Not only that, she is competing FOR US GYMNASTICS, the organization that sheltered Nassar, served its young gymnasts up to him for years despite complaints, and ignored and punished athletes who reported his abuse.
Larry Nassar used Simone Biles's body for whatever he wanted. US Gymnastics then told her, and Nassar's other victims. that they didn't care about that because US Gymnastics wanted to use her body the way they wanted. And then, when Simone Biles used her body to accomplish athletic feats that literally no one else can do, her sport punished her by watering down her scores to "protect" other gymnasts.
When Simone Biles stepped out of that competition, I saw a young woman saying "I'll use my body the way I want to. If no one else will take care of me, I will."
I don't think that's choking. I think that might be the bravest thing I've ever seen.