The decision by Simone Biles to not compete in the Tokyo Olympics due to a mental health issue initially shocked fellow world champion gymnast Chellsie Memmel. However, she isn’t surprised by the reason why.
“It’s like your mind and your body are just not agreeing and working against each other,” says Memmel. “You know you want to get up and do the move, like you can feel it and generally you can still see it in your brain, but then you get up and you just can’t.”
Memmel says she did not have this happen during a competition, but it did occur during training. As for how to combat it, she says it will not happen during a competition like the Olympics. Rather, it will take practice in safe places.
“Sometimes you just have to go all the way back to the basics and start relearning the twisting skills,” says Memmel. She adds that is needed since any mistakes with a twist or gymnastic routine could cause major injuries.
Listen to the full interview with Wisconsin’s Afternoon News above.