Sunisa Lee and Simone Biles are making history at the Olympics: the first champions together
30 july 2024 в 03:37
Sunisa Lee and Simone Biles are making history at the Olympics. As two highly decorated gymnasts, Suni, 21, and Simone, 27, have been praised for their individual performances throughout their careers. Now, as they return to the US national team at the Olympics in Paris this year, the athletes will be the first champions in the all-around to compete together in one final.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Suni won the gold medal in the all-around after Simone withdrew from the competition due to a «twist». At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone was the all-around champion.
While physical health is a common priority for athletes, both Simone and Suni have helped create a new legacy when it comes to mental health. In her new documentary series on Netflix, Simone Biles: Up, Simone discussed how she managed to return to training after facing harsh criticism for withdrawing from the women’s gymnastics competition in 2021.
«People just put you on a pedestal, and I just ask to be human», - Simone, who was called the GOAT of gymnastics, pointed out in the series. «You can block out the noise, but only for a while, until it reaches you».
As for Suni, the former Auburn University gymnast was diagnosed with two forms of kidney disease. She had to temporarily leave the sport, but she was determined to come back to the Olympics.
During an interview with E! News in a recent interview, Suni noted that she «focuses on what’s in front of me, not what’s ahead, because otherwise I’ll be so nervous and possibly have a breakdown».
Regarding how she manages changes in her life, Suni mentioned that she goes to therapy, which «has been the biggest change, because there was a lot of self-doubt, a lot of pressure, and a lot of not understanding where all of this was coming from».
«So, being able to talk about it, talk about it and know that it’s normal to not feel okay, is a wonderful feeling», - she added. «I would give myself a medal for not giving up. There were so many things I could have given up on, and so many times I could have just put it off and moved on in my life. But I wanted better for myself and also wanted to leave this Olympics or this quad knowing that I gave everything I had and had no regrets»
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Suni won the gold medal in the all-around after Simone withdrew from the competition due to a «twist». At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone was the all-around champion.
While physical health is a common priority for athletes, both Simone and Suni have helped create a new legacy when it comes to mental health. In her new documentary series on Netflix, Simone Biles: Up, Simone discussed how she managed to return to training after facing harsh criticism for withdrawing from the women’s gymnastics competition in 2021.
«People just put you on a pedestal, and I just ask to be human», - Simone, who was called the GOAT of gymnastics, pointed out in the series. «You can block out the noise, but only for a while, until it reaches you».
As for Suni, the former Auburn University gymnast was diagnosed with two forms of kidney disease. She had to temporarily leave the sport, but she was determined to come back to the Olympics.
During an interview with E! News in a recent interview, Suni noted that she «focuses on what’s in front of me, not what’s ahead, because otherwise I’ll be so nervous and possibly have a breakdown».
Regarding how she manages changes in her life, Suni mentioned that she goes to therapy, which «has been the biggest change, because there was a lot of self-doubt, a lot of pressure, and a lot of not understanding where all of this was coming from».
«So, being able to talk about it, talk about it and know that it’s normal to not feel okay, is a wonderful feeling», - she added. «I would give myself a medal for not giving up. There were so many things I could have given up on, and so many times I could have just put it off and moved on in my life. But I wanted better for myself and also wanted to leave this Olympics or this quad knowing that I gave everything I had and had no regrets»
© Kolganov Andrey
