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'We're human, too': Simone Biles highlights importance of mental health in Olympics withdrawal - NBC News

'We're human, too': Simone Biles highlights importance of mental health in Olympics withdrawal - NBC News

Jul 27, 2021 1 min, 51 secs

In making the stunning decision to withdraw from the team final competition Tuesday, Biles acknowledged the tremendous pressure she had been facing as the "head star of the Olympics" and said she needed to focus on her mental health.

"We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day we're human, too," Biles said, according to The Associated Press.

Biles' candid admission, which follows Naomi Osaka's decision this year to withdraw from tennis tournaments to protect her mental health, again put a global spotlight on the often taboo subject of mental health in sports.

"Put mental health first, because if you don't, then you're not going to enjoy your sport and you're not going to succeed as much as you want to," she said.

It's been a long year.

So just a lot of different variables, and I think we're just a little bit too stressed out.

"I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn't affect me but damn sometimes it's hard hahaha.

Magavi, a psychiatrist who has frequently worked with student-athletes and professional athletes, said the societal expectations from fans, the media and others can make athletes feel as though "every single step that they take will be significantly scrutinized, and this kind of pressure is so severe" that they can have trouble even focusing on their day-to-day activities.

Magavi said athletes like Biles, "who have such stature" and are "essentially symbolizing and representing a country," can have so much anticipatory anxiety and face such enormous pressure to be perfect and never falter that "in this way they lose that passion for the game that was the first reason they joined the game in the first place.".

Magavi said she commends Biles for prioritizing her mental health needs over "societal expectations.".

"She's human, and I think sometimes people forget that, and Simone, just like everyone else, is doing the best that she can," she said

"It's just so much pressure, and I've been watching how much pressure has been on her in the months leading up to the Games, and it's just devastating

Asked about Thursday's event, Biles said, "We're going to take it day by day, and we're just going to see."

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