simone Biles posted on X (formerly Twitter) with a plea for people to stop asking a specific question to athletes who are excited about winning a medal.
In a post shared with her 1.9 million followers, Biles, 27, wrote: “You guys really need to stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics.” her request. “Let’s seize the moment we’ve been working toward all our lives,” she said.
So far at the Paris Summer Olympics, the Team USA gymnast has won three gold medals, adding to her total of now 10 medals – seven gold, two bronze and one silver. With the Paris Games not yet concluded, Biles has already started answering questions about whether she will compete in Los Angeles in 2028.
At a press conference on Saturday, Biles was asked if this would be “the last time we will see [her] jumping in competition. In response, she said it would be his last Yurchenko double lance – the jump that won him the gold – but as for competition in general: “Never say never.”
“The next Olympics is at home [L.A.], so you never know. But I’m getting really old,” Biles said, laughing.
Biles’ social media appeal comes just days after gold medal-winning American swimmer Simone Manuel called for a change in coverage – arguing on X that it is “it is not necessary” have interviews and photographs of athletes after disappointing performances.
“I can attest that the moment is already traumatic and its capture is even more tiring”, wrote Manuel. “I hope we can give athletes more grace because they are human first!”
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The August 2nd post reiterates something she initially wrote in 2021 during the Tokyo Olympics, saying to “trust [her]”that the athletes gave their all.
Throughout the triumphs and fanfare of this year’s Olympics, it has not been without sadness for the athletes.
On August 2, After Caeleb Dressel missed the podium in the 50m freestyle and finished fifth in the 100m butterfly semi-final heat – failing to qualify for the final – cameras were quick to capture his tears. Elsewhere, after gold medal favorite Sha’Carri Richardson won silver in the 100m on Saturday, she refused to speak to the press about the disappointment, perhaps in an effort to protect herself from prying eyes.
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Biles has long advocated protecting the mental health of athletes – especially after her withdrawal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after having “upsets”. When Team USA Gymnastics announced Biles’ withdrawal, the organization said, “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being.”
Since then, Biles has been a symbol to many of how athletic greatness and prioritizing mental health don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
