Helene Elliott: ‘We Can All Learn From Her Courage’: Simone Biles Not Alone in Mental Health Struggle
TOKYO—For nearly a decade Simone Biles seemed not only unbeatable but unshakeable.
She would reel off the most difficult gymnastics maneuvers with a daredevil’s spirit and an artist’s passion, her smile brighter than the 25 medals she won at the world championships and the five she won while dominating the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was declared the GOAT—greatest of all time—and she embraced the role with good humor by wearing leotards cheekily adorned with a glittery goat.
Few people realized that behind the perky hair ribbons and spangles is a young woman who has been bruised by life, first in the foster care system when her addict biological mother couldn’t care for her, and later when she was among hundreds of girls and women who were sexually abused by former national team doctor Lawrence Nassar. She thought of committing suicide in the aftermath of the abuse, she recently acknowledged in a Facebook Watch docuseries.