Simone Biles Admits Shaking with Anxiety, Nervous About Olympic Vault

Simone Biles has revealed that she experienced significant anxiety in the Olympic Village, particularly during the women’s gymnastics vault event. The 27-year-old gymnast posted a recent TikTok video, showing herself preparing for the Olympics all-around final. This came only a day after she clinched another gold medal in the individual all-around gymnastics final. Just days before, the US women’s gymnastics team had also secured gold during the all-around finals.

Biles will return to the Bercy Arena on Saturday, August 3, for the women’s vault final. In her TikTok video, she admitted to feeling “really nervous,” which she noted was “to be expected.” She further explained that she had a therapy session in the morning, which made her feel a bit better. “I’ve just worked so hard, mentally, to get to this moment,” she added.

As she continued applying her makeup, Biles mentioned that she felt most anxious about the vault event. “Tonight I start on vault. I think that’s the event I am the most nervous for,” she expressed. “Because I don’t want to overpower it.” After discussing the tough competition, specifically noting Brazilian gymnast Rebecca Andrade as her “top competitor,” Biles admitted that she has felt a lot of anxiety, even when not competing.

“I have not done much around the Olympic Village, and it’s because the first day we got here, and I got to the cafeteria and a lot of people were asking me for photos, like nonstop, and whenever I sat down to eat my anxiety was so bad I was shaking,” Biles shared. “And I couldn’t stop shaking.”

She went on to say that the overwhelming experience led her to avoid the cafeteria. “I went to the cafeteria to meet my friend yesterday, but before that, I haven’t gone back to the cafeteria in five days,” she added. “I just go to the store, stock up the food and just like, stay here, because it gets me so anxious.”

On Friday, Biles posted a picture of herself meditating in the Bercy Arena in Paris. The post came after her victory in the individual all-around competition, with a caption that read: “Mental health matters.”

Biles has been open about her mental health challenges, emphasizing the significant role therapy has played in her preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Speaking to reporters after Team USA’s all-around event, she highlighted the positive impact of therapy right before the competition. “At the beginning of the day, I started off with therapy this morning so that was super exciting. And then I told her I was feeling calm and ready,” she said. “And that’s kind of exactly what happened.”

She also addressed her fears during the vault competition: “After I finished vault, I was relieved. I was like: ‘Wooo, because please, no flashbacks or anything.’ But I did feel a lot of relief. And as soon as I landed vault, I was like: ‘Oh, yeah, I’m definitely [okay], we’re gonna do this.’”

Before arriving in France for the Summer Olympics, Biles had a conversation with Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb about incorporating therapy into her daily routine. “You don’t bury things anymore. You speak them out loud. You talk about therapy, where you are, where you’re going,” Kotb said during her podcast, Making Space with Hoda Kotb, which aired on July 31. “I’ve always tried to stay authentic to myself, so I feel like the new me, I’m a little bit older, more mature, so just being unapologetically me.”

Back in 2021, Biles had withdrawn from the women’s all-around gymnastics competition at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. She was dealing with a condition known as the “twisties,” a situation where gymnasts lose control midair and feel unable to land their moves, leading to heightened risk and danger.

Simone Biles’ journey underscores the importance of mental health, even for top-tier athletes. Her openness about her experiences helps shed light on the struggles that many athletes face but often keep hidden. By addressing these issues publicly, Biles continues to be an inspiration, not just because of her tremendous talent but also because of her courage to prioritize her well-being.

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