Stupidity on both sides of the aisle, but don’t need to make this political. This is more about the tweeting society and how a grown man thought that opinion was worthy of a tweet.
Good piece on Osaka
- Thread starter NYShoreGuy
- Start date
What a great story this is. Talk about overcoming adversity, injuries. Very inspirational.
Suni Lee wins gold in all-around gymnastics with Simone Biles sitting out Olympics
A wide-open meet due to Simone Biles’ withdrawal resulted in US gymnastics teammate Suni Lee seizing an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo to continue the Americans’ recent domination of the individual al…nypost.com
Suni Lee wins gold in all-around gymnastics with Simone Biles sitting out Olympics
By Peter Botte
Suni Lee competes on balance beam during the Women's All-Around Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Getty Images
A wide-open meet due to Simone Biles’ withdrawal resulted in U.S. gymnastics teammate Suni Lee seizing an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo to continue the Americans’ recent domination of the individual all-around competition.
With Biles seated in the stands after the defending gold medalist dropped out of the team and individual competitions for mental-health reasons, the 18-year-old Lee became the fifth straight American to win the marquee individual event at the Summer Games.
Suni Lee on the balance beam during all-around women’s competition.
Getty Images
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade stepped out of bounds twice on the floor exercise with a chance to surpass Lee, but she still became the first gymnast in her country’s history to earn a medal in the all-around. Angelina Melnikova of the Russian Olympic Committee grabbed the bronze. Biles’ replacement, Jade Carey, finished eighth.
Team USA had earned the previous four Olympic golds in this event: Biles (2016 in Rio de Janeiro), Gabby Douglas (2012 in London), Nastia Liukin (2008 in Beijing) and Carly Patterson (2004 in Athens).
The 18-year-old Lee received a promising score of 14.600 with a double-twisting Yurchenko on her vault, not her strongest event, and the Minnesota native moved within seven-hundredths of point behind Andrade for the lead with a 15.300 with a stuck landing on the uneven bars. Lee nearly fell from the balance beam on a triple wolf turn but steadied herself for a score of 13.833, enough for her to take over the top spot by barely one-tenth of a point over Andrade entering the final rotation.
Suni Lee celebrates after the uneven bars during all-around women’s competition.
Getty Images
Lee’s score of 13.700 on floor exercise opened the door for Andrade to pass her to take the gold with a score of at least 13.801, but Andrade stepped outside the boundaries on two of her three tumbling passes for a 13.666.
Carey, who finished ninth overall in the preliminary round, made a small hop on her vault landing for a 15.200, one point behind Andrade in that rotation. But the 21-year-old Arizona resident scored a 13.5 on the uneven bars and then just an 11.533 following a fall from the balance beam to effectively eliminate her from medal contention.
Suni Lee celebrates after the uneven bars during all-around women’s competition.
Getty Images
The 24-year-old Biles had led the field following the qualifying round, but the four-time Olympic gold medalist withdrew following a faulty vault on her first rotation during Tuesday’s team competition finals.
To me all the Simone Biles stories are premature. Too early to say she's either courageous or she's faking it. Mental health issues are real and I can certainly see how the weight of the world could be on her shoulders. But her actions since withdrawing from the team events are puzzling for someone who is struggling so much with mental health issues that she felt it necessary to withdraw.
The optics are not good so far. It seems like it may have been best for her to leave the Olympics, come home, and be treated, not still be all over the place and especially on social media.
The optics are not good so far. It seems like it may have been best for her to leave the Olympics, come home, and be treated, not still be all over the place and especially on social media.
Everyone handles their own situation differently. Some retreat others carry on in similar fashion to what they have been doing.
There's no playbook on how you recover. It seems to me that Biles' issues were expectations and pressure. Now, at least for the time being, that pressure and the accompanying expectations are gone and she chooses to do two things.
1. Enjoy the experience of being in the Olympics and in Japan.
2. Leave the door partially ajar if she feels mentally fit to compete next week.
And remember, while all of this is happening I have little doubt she is getting professional help as well.
There's no playbook on how you recover. It seems to me that Biles' issues were expectations and pressure. Now, at least for the time being, that pressure and the accompanying expectations are gone and she chooses to do two things.
1. Enjoy the experience of being in the Olympics and in Japan.
2. Leave the door partially ajar if she feels mentally fit to compete next week.
And remember, while all of this is happening I have little doubt she is getting professional help as well.
And that’s pretty sad, because Lee’s story is about as compelling as you can have.
https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31911577/suni-lee-olympic-gold-medal-feel-real-life
Amazing story on so many levels, overcoming so much. A lot of firsts in the overall. Silver medalist was first Latin American to ever win.
Amazing story on so many levels, overcoming so much. A lot of firsts in the overall. Silver medalist was first Latin American to ever win.
Simone Biles reveals depths of ‘dangerous’ twisties problem that’s destroying her Olympics
Simone Biles opened up about her fateful “twisties,” the condition she said led her to pull out of the Olympic gymnastics competition to focus on her mental health – revealing to her fans in an Ins…
nypost.com
Simone Biles reveals depths of ‘dangerous’ twisties problem that’s destroying her Olympics
By Justin Terranova and Yaron SteinbuchSimone Biles opened up about her fateful “twisties,” the condition she said led her to pull out of the Olympic gymnastics competition to focus on her mental health – revealing to her fans in an Instagram Q&A that her “mind and body are simply not in sync.”
“I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competitive surface,” the 24-year-old — who has won four Olympic gold medals, as well as a silver and bronze – wrote in a story Friday.
“Nor do I have to explain why I put my health first. Physical health is mental health,” the 4-foot-8 Texan added.
The Team USA gymnast also posted, then deleted, two videos of her attempting a dismount on the uneven bars.
“For anyone saying I quit. I didn’t quit my mind & body are simply not in sync. As you can see here,” wrote the athlete, who stunned the world when she dropped out of the team final and women’s individual all-around.
Her teammate Suni Lee captured the marquee title by edging out Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
Biles told her followers that during competition, she is supposed to do one-and-a-half more twists than what she managed to do in training.
“Almost there but not quite,” she wrote, adding, “Sometimes I can’t even fathom twisting. I seriously cannot comprehend how to twist. Strangest & weirdest thing as well as feeling.”
The “twisties” cause a gymnast to lose a sense of where they are in the air and often leads to dangerous landings.
Biles opened up about the situational awareness bugaboo, telling her fans that she could “literally not tell up from down.”
“It’s the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body. What’s even scarier is since I have no idea where I am in the air, I also have NO idea how I am going to land. Or what I am going to land on. Head/hands/feet back…,” she wrote.
“It’s honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind & body in sync,” she wrote, adding, “10/10 do not recommend.”
Biles pointed out that she’d been affected by the twisties previously, writing, “btw it’s never transferred to bars & beam for me. It strictly likes floor & vault, but this time it’s literally on every event. which sucks… really bad.”
She insisted that she “didn’t have a bad performance and quit. I’ve had plenty of bad performances throughout my career and finished competition. I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal.”
Biles also described her vault misfire that preceded her withdrawal.
“I also have no idea how I landed on my feet on that vault bc if you look at the pictures & my eyes you can see how confused I am as to where I am in the air,” she wrote.
“Thankfully I landed safe enough but I also don’t think some of you realize I was supposed to do a 2 ½ and I only completed 1 ½ twists before it looks like I got shot out of the air,” Biles added.
She also took a swipe at her doubters and critics as she explained that she had no problems with her routines before heading for Tokyo.
“It randomly started happening after prelims competition the VERY next morning,” she wrote. “By that time NO an alternative was not allowed to be placed in my position for you ‘know it alls.'”
Biles continued: “We have 4 on a team for a reason. I chose to not continue team competition in jeopardizing losing a medal (of any color) for the girls/US.”
Meanwhile, she also celebrated her triumphant teammate.
“CONGRATS PRINCESS absolutely killed it!!! OLYMPIC CHAMPION RIGHT HERE !!! So so so beyond proud of you!!!!” wrote Biles, who has not yet indicated whether she will compete in individual events next week.
Simone Biles withdraws from two event finals at the Olympics
Simone Biles has decided to pull out of two more Olympic events due to concerns over her mental health, USA Gymnastics said late Friday. The four-time Olympic gold medalist opted to …
nypost.com
Simone Biles withdraws from two event finals at the Olympics
By Jesse O’NeillSimone Biles has decided to pull out of two more Olympic events due to concerns over her mental health, USA Gymnastics said late Friday.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist opted to sit out the woman’s gymnastics event finals for vault and the uneven bars in Tokyo on Sunday.
“After further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars. She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam,” the organization said in a statement.
“We remain in awe of Simone, who continues to handle this situation with courage and grace, and all of the athletes who have stepped up during these unexpected circumstances.”
MyKayla Skinner will take Biles’ place in the vault finals alongside Jade Carey.
Biles, 24, took to her Instagram Stories Friday to tell fans she was struggling with feeling off while performing twists, a phenomenon she dubbed the “twisties.”
The superstar said her “mind and body” were not in sync and she was “going back to basics.”
Skinner posted that she was excited to step into Biles’ gymnastics shoes, writing: “Can’t wait to compete in vault finals. Doing this for us @simonebiles It’s go time baby!”
Biles bowed out of team competition Tuesday, claiming she was in good physical health, but overwhelmed the emotional toll of expectations associated with being considered the most prominent Olympic athlete.
Team USA won a silver medal in her absence.
Simone Biles returns to Olympics for balance beam finals
The 2016 Olympic champion will compete in the balance beam finals on Tuesday, a little over a week after stepping away from the meet to focus on her mental health.
nypost.com
Simone Biles returns to Olympics for balance beam finals
The 2016 Olympic champion will compete in the balance beam finals on Tuesday, a little over a week after stepping away from the meet to focus on her mental health.
nypost.com
Simone Biles returns to Olympics for balance beam finals
By Yaron Steinbuch
Simone Biles on the balance beam during Olympic qualifications.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Simone Biles is putting the “twisties” behind her — and jumping back into the Olympics gymnastics competition on the balance beam.
The 24-year-old, who pulled out of the meet last week to focus on her mental health, will compete in the balance beam finals Tuesday in Tokyo.
“We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow — Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!” USA Gymnastics said in a statement.
The four-time gold winner and 2016 all-around champion in Rio de Janeiro won the bronze on the beam in Brazil and qualified for the eight-woman final at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre on the first weekend of the Tokyo Games.
Biles removed herself from the team final on July 27 after a shaky performance on vault during the first rotation.
In the first event of the team competition, she tried to perform an Amanar, one of the most difficult vaults being done by women, but fell out of the air one twist short.
She watched from the sidelines as her three US teammates completed the meet without her and took silver behind the team known as the Russian Olympic Committee.
The six-time Olympic medalist later said she was suffering from the “twisties,” which cause a gymnast to lose a sense of where they are in the air and often leads to dangerous landings.
Last week, she went into extensive detail about the condition, explaining that she lost the confidence of knowing what her body was going to do in midair.
“Honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind & body in sync. 10/10 do not recommend,” Biles wrote Friday in an Instagram post.
“I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface,” she wrote. “Sometimes I can’t even fathom twisting. I seriously cannot comprehend how to twist.”
Biles, the face of the US Olympic movement when she arrived in Japan, qualified for all five individual event finals but pulled out of four of them — the all-around, vault, floor exercise and uneven bars.
She has been a fixture in the stands, where she yelled support for Lee, who won the coveted gold in the all-around, MyKayla Skinner and Jade Carey in the event finals.
Ending her second Olympics – and perhaps her career – on the beam is poetic justice of sorts for Biles, who won the bronze in the event in Rio despite grabbing the 4-inch piece of wood when she almost slipped mid-routine.
It was her fifth medal at the Games. She won the gold in the all-around, the team, vault and floor exercise.
Biles has said she’s most proud of her bronze from Brazil and has pushed back against those who called it a disappointment, using it as proof to the double standard she believes follows her whenever she competes.
With Post wires
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympics/uswnt-take-canada-olympic-soccer-semi-final-n1275661
Will anyone care if they kneel if they win the bronze?
Will anyone care if they kneel if they win the bronze?
Caeleb Dressel was miserable during Olympic dominance
American swimmer Caeleb Dressel told reporters that he is “pretty over swimming.”
nypost.com
Caeleb Dressel was miserable during Olympic dominance
By Jared Greenspan
Caeleb Dressel after winning gold in the men's 50-meter freestyle.
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Ima
Dominating the Olympics may not be as enjoyable as it seems.
American swimmer Caeleb Dressel, fresh off a record-tying Olympic performance in which he captured gold medals in each of his five races, told reporters that he is “pretty over swimming” following his final win on Sunday.
“This is not easy, not an easy week at all,” Dressel said. “Some parts were extremely enjoyable. I would say the majority of them were not. You can’t sleep right, you can’t nap, shaking all the time. I probably lost 10 pounds. I’m going to weigh myself and eat some food when I get back. It’s a lot of stress we put on the body.”
Although Dressel has taken to journaling in order to better cope with his emotions, the Olympics left him too drained to write.
“I am pretty good at putting a face on,” Dressel said. “I knew that weight was on my shoulders. (But) pressure is fine. It is when you turn it into stress, that is when it becomes a problem.”
Mental health has become an increasingly pertinent subject during the Tokyo Olympics. Dressel’s remarks come in the wake of Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from several Olympic events over her own mental health concerns.
Despite the toll on his health, Dressel acknowledged that he has no regrets about participating.
“It’s not the most enjoyable process, but it is worth it,” Dressel said. “Every part of it is worth it. Just cause it’s bad doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”
And then there's this from the great Sydney McLaughlin:
“Pressure is an illusion,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s what you make of it. I’m just here to have fun and represent my country.”
“Pressure is an illusion,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s what you make of it. I’m just here to have fun and represent my country.”
Different strokes for different folks.
Of course there's pressure. Especially when an athlete is considered not only the best in the world, but in Biles case the best of all time.
It's amazing to me what these athletes have to endure and then the ridicule they receive if they don't meet the expectations of the average fan sitting on a coach who couldn't even dream of accomplishing what they have.
I'll take a different tact and note I hold these competitors in the highest esteem as regards what they have done and what many will do in the future.
Of course there's pressure. Especially when an athlete is considered not only the best in the world, but in Biles case the best of all time.
It's amazing to me what these athletes have to endure and then the ridicule they receive if they don't meet the expectations of the average fan sitting on a coach who couldn't even dream of accomplishing what they have.
I'll take a different tact and note I hold these competitors in the highest esteem as regards what they have done and what many will do in the future.
Simone Biles wins medal in highly anticipated Olympic return
The GOAT always finishes strong.
nypost.com
Simone Biles wins medal in highly anticipated Olympic return
By Mollie WalkerThe GOAT always finishes strong.
After bowing out of the gymnastic team final and missing much of her events during the 2021 Olympics, USA gymnastics star Simone Biles defended her bronze medal on the balance beam Tuesday in what may be her final Olympic performance. It was Biles’ second consecutive bronze in beam dating back to the 2016 Rio Games and her seventh career Olympic medal, which ties her with Shannon Miller for the most by an American gymnast – though Biles’ four golds is unmatched.
Between the Olympics and World Championships, Biles’ 32 total medals officially ties her with Russia’s Larisa Latynina as the most decorated athlete in women’s gymnastics of all time.
Simone Biles in her balance beam return at the Olympics.
AP
The 24-year-old Biles was solid in her first individual medal event in Tokyo aside from one minor connection issue, earning a 14.0 score that placed her in third. China took gold and silver, with 16-year-old sensation Guan Chenchen coming out on top at 14.633 and Tang Xijing right behind with 14.233.
USA’s all-around gold medalist Suni Lee finished in fifth, behind Ellie Black of Canada.
Biles was returning to the competition after pulling out of the all-around team event due to struggles with her mental health and a case of the “twisties,” a common issue gymnasts face that Biles described as not being able to “tell up from down.”
Simone Biles in her balance beam return at the Olympics.
REUTERS
Beam already features minimal twisting, but Biles downgraded her dismount from the “Biles” – a double-twisting double tuck – to a double pike. After cleanly landing her dismount, Biles smiled and clapped her hands, clutched her heart in relief and waved in response to cheers.
In wake of backlash for her decision to pull out of several events, Biles answered questions from her 6.6 million followers on her Instagram this past weekend to clarify what she was going through. She described trying to compete with the twisties as “petrifying” and pointed out that gymnastics was a team sport.
The heavily favored USA team had finished the qualifying round on July 25 trailing Russian athletes, but Biles was still at the top of the individual standings with berths for each event final in balance beam, floor exercise, uneven bars and vault. Biles – as well as a few of her U.S. teammates – had made uncharacteristic mistakes in her first events that included stepping out of bounds, off the mat entirely in the floor exercise and staggering backward on her dismount from the balance beam.
USA ultimately earned silver in team competition without Biles, finishing behind the Russian Olympic Committee.
“I didn’t have a bad performance and quit,” Biles wrote. “I’ve had plenty of bad performances throughout my career and finished the competition. I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal. Therefore, the girls stepped up and killed the rest of the competition and won silver. QUEENS!!!”
Biles hasn’t confirmed that she’s ready to hang up the leotard, but the New York Times reports that it seems likely she will retire after Tokyo. There is a possibility Biles could attempt to qualify in one event at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the age of 27, though there aren’t many gymnasts who can continue to compete at that age.
I was watching a show yesterday and a former Olympic gymnast noted that as many as 70/80% of all athletes at this level experience some form of the mental anxiety and fear of injury that beset Biles.
It just happened on the biggest stage for her.
Hopefully this being so publicized will help others in all walks of life not fear the stigma of speaking about mental issues affecting their health and well being.
Hell, just yesterday two more police officers who were involved at the Capital Jan 6th took their own lives. That's 4 to date.
They could all be alive today if they got the help they needed. Now those that were left behind will have to suffer with their loss for the rest of their lives.
It just happened on the biggest stage for her.
Hopefully this being so publicized will help others in all walks of life not fear the stigma of speaking about mental issues affecting their health and well being.
Hell, just yesterday two more police officers who were involved at the Capital Jan 6th took their own lives. That's 4 to date.
They could all be alive today if they got the help they needed. Now those that were left behind will have to suffer with their loss for the rest of their lives.
Doesn't that go for most professions though? Sure, world class athletes have to deal with that additional pressure, but that's what you sign up for (good and bad).
Unfortunately, the idolizing of athletes, social media, etc., has raised the ante for both athlete and fans. Athletes are making tons of money and social media is providing an unfiltered volume of responses. But without it, the money would be far less. It just adds another layer (which sometimes the athlete contributes) that wasn't there years ago (when there was still stress at competing at a high level).
Mental health needs to be taken seriously, especially when you are dealing with depression and the consequences. The thing Biles is dealing with seems like more of the "yips" a golfer may get...body and mind not connecting.
If you're saying that the attention of social media has intensified ten fold both the earning power and the accompanying mental anxiety and pressure that athletes have to face, of course you're right.
But that doesn't mean we don't have to help them when that help is required. And we certainly don't have to castigate them as so many like to do with those doing things that we can only dream of doing fall short of their goals.
But that doesn't mean we don't have to help them when that help is required. And we certainly don't have to castigate them as so many like to do with those doing things that we can only dream of doing fall short of their goals.
Agree on both points. Some of the comments on social media and the MSM are deplorable. That's just human decency, but that seems to take a back seat today across the board. At the same time some athletes also need to consider ramifications of their actions on social media.
Funny comparing the people critiquing or supporting Biles, etc, and the people who frequently talk crap about our guys under the guise of venting.
Great performance by Sydney. Looks like she handled the pressure well.
Congrats to her. Nice to see USA, New Jersey and Union Catholic represent. Also happy for Simone preforming well today.Similar threads
