PEORIA, Ill. — Simone Biles, widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, shocked the world earlier this week when she withdrew from the team gymnastics competition.
Biles cited her mental health as the reason for withdrawing, and later withdrew from the all-around individual competition as well.
Praise and criticism poured out on social media, with some applauding Biles’ decision and others attacking it.
Mental health has become a more common topic, especially in athletics, in recent months.
Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka similarly shocked the sports world when she withdrew from Wimbledon.
In the NBA, stars like Kevin Love and DeMar Derozan have publicly spoken about their struggles with depression during their careers.
Dr. Jonathan Rubenstein, with UnityPoint Health, said many factors go into one’s mental health, especially in the case of Biles.
“Just the aboslute pressure of being an Olympic athlete along with everything that’s happened with USA gymnastics with Larry Nassar,” said Rubenstein. “I can’t imagine what she was going through — I applaud her for withdrawing.
“Hopefully this continues a public discussion about mental health.”
Rubenstein also made reference to the sport of gymnastics being different than other events.
“In basketball or tennis, if you’re not feeling well from a mental health perspective, it’ll affect your game,” he said. “In gymnastics, if you mess up while in the air, you could break your neck or leg.”
From the perspective of a doctor, Rubenstein described how he would handle the situation as her doctor.
“First, I would just support her — she needs support first and foremost,” said Rubenstein.
Rubenstein said he would also have Biles speak with a therapist to address any long-standing issues that are attributing to her struggles.
Rubenstein added he was surprised by some of the backlash Biles received, like claims that she quit on her team or country.
“They have no idea what the pressure [of being an Olympic athlete] entails, let alone what it was like from a young age to train to get to this point,” said Rubenstein.
While Biles did receive some backlash, Rubenstein said most athletes will focus on the outpouring of support she received instead.
“There was much more support, in the end, than criticism,” said Rubenstein. “I think the huge outpouring of support will encourage others to be open.”
While progress has been made on the mental health front, he said the Biles situation has shown there is along way to go.
“People calling her a quitter or saying how can she label herself the GOAT — those comments are just ridiculous and not helpful,” said Rubenstein. “We still have a ways to go, but the fact more people are talking about mental health on such a big state is excellent progress.”
Overall, Rubenstein said everyone should support people with mental health issues.
“At the end of the day, we’re not in her shoes and we don’t know what she’s experiencing,” he said. “She was the only athlete who had been subjected to abuse [from Nassar] who did compete in Tokyo — so she was representing all of those victims — that in itself is immense pressure.”
Dr. Jonathan Rubenstein is a medical health professional at University of Illinois Psychiatry and Psychology, located inside the UnityPoint Health Methodist atrium.
Full interview with Rubenstein:
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