Just before she took to the vault during the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Simone Biles was “fighting demons,” she said. When the Olympic gold medalist and world champion was warming up, she could tell something was off. During an April of the with , Biles shared the timeline of realizing she had the twisties, the phenomenon that led her to from the team final and women’s all-around at the 2021 Olympics to prioritize her mental health.
Biles goes on to discuss her mindset and fears, and answered the question that was on many Americans' minds three years ago: What are the twisties? “As soon as I landed (my vault), I was like, ‘Oh, America hates me,’” said Biles. “The world is going to hate me. And I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now.
’ That was my first thought.” The last Summer Olympics weren’t the first time she’s dealt the twisties, but having them come about on a world stage brought additional pressure. Ahead, read what Biles has said about her experience with the twisties, whether it’s possible to recover and where Biles stands now ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.
The twisties happen when a gymnast is in midair and loses their sense of where they and how they’ll land, making the move risky. Biles described it as being "lost in the air." When practicing her vault ahead of Team USA’s first gymnastics rotation back in 2021, Biles noticed she wasn’t performing as she usually does.
In the air, she was unsteady. “It doesn’t.