And she’s done one hell of a job at representing the country up 'til now. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.
My armchair assessment is that her stumble in the vault caused a severe drop in confidence, such that she was worried about a bigger problem (including injury) if she kept going without her head fully in the game. She probably has been feeling tons of pressure leading up to the event, but wanted to power through anyway for the sake of her team. But with that stumble, her decision changed.
Personal anecdote: I (used to) mountain bike, and I found myself less confident as I got older and therefore more prone to injury on rides that demand confidence. On one of my last rides, I had a minor tumble - no big deal, but it shook me a little. Soon after, I came to an easily navigable drop. As long as I had enough speed, I’d make it no problem. But I froze a little on the approach and my speed decreased, so my front wheel dropped over the edge instead of keeping level with the back wheel, and I did an endo over the handlebars. Biles’ stumble was probably much the same, although unlike me, she knew to quit after the first fall.
I guess that’s me? Perhaps I unfairly lumped you in with dalej42, who loves to complain about people not meeting his expectations. And in what I’m sure is just a coincidence, the targets of dale’s complaints always seem to be female, Black, or both. I haven’t noticed any such pattern from you, so I apologize for using you as a springboard for my real rant against dale.
Let’s remember that the gymnastics team has had to finally reveal to the public the horrors that they were forced to endure in private. There has to be some degree of catharsis from finally letting go of all that pain but at the same time, I’m guessing that there is trauma associated simply from having to confront these atrocities publicly. Remember, too, that the post-Nasser trauma was then followed by the trauma of the pandemic, which we’re all dealing with and suffering from in different ways.
Biles also had a tremendous, frankly almost unrealistic, set of expectations placed on her lone self coming into the competition. Few athletes came in with such stratospheric expectations - maybe Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. It’s a lot to deal with.
I pit the commentators. Focus on the event and the athletes. I don’t want to hear anything else.
Liechtenstein has actually won several Olympic medals — all in Alpine skiing. In 1980 Hanni Wenzel won 2 golds and a silver; her brother Andreas won a silver.
I remember Hanni Wenzel from 1980. Commentators made much of her remarkable achievement from such a tiny country.
That’s fine with me. What’s not fine is knowing that I live in a world with snipers from the Duchy of Liechtenstein who could take me out at 1000m.
Sounds like they should do more biathlon.
AIUI, it is possible to deflect the snipers by throwing them some cheese dumplings.
Cheese dumpling throwing should be an event in itself. The 1000m event would be very elite.
From watching Simone the other day, it was clear something was going on with her. So many mistakes. I don’t blame her or judge her for sitting out. As for taking a spot from someone else, it’s quite likely she didn’t realize how serious things were until she made those mistakes.
100% this. The broadcasters were going on about what a shame, but mental health is important, but now the US doesn’t stand a chance, but we support her… all while a camera was so tight on her face you could count her nose hair.
People are going to say “Well Tom Brady or Michael Jordan wouldn’t have…”
Yeah, but Tom Brady and Michael Jordan weren’t molested and then trotted out as like the American savior during a once in a century existential crisis.
Simone Biles will always have my undying respect.
Don’t usually post here, but know I’m asking in good faith. If I’m ignorant, inform me.
What’s so unrealistic about expecting Simone to win gold? From what I can tell, that seemed very realistic. If she finished last, then there’s no shame in trying and losing. I don’t know how involved coaching is, but that seems to be the failure to me. Help her handle the pressure and quiet the noise (leading up to and during the events). It just felt like she choked under the pressure to the point she couldn’t physically compete anymore. It happens, a lot, but how is it not choking?
As far as Brady or Jordan, Jordan quit for mental reasons too after the death of his Dad. Prior to the season, not during the NBA finals. I wonder if Brady had left after the first quarter of the Super Bowl last year because the pressure was too great, would people call that a brave decision.
I’m conflicted. Not about Simone specifically, it’s too new and I don’t know enough. But just about quitting in the middle of a team event for mental reasons.
Big events are special because of the pressure. Most people on Earth cannot handle that type of pressure (or even comprehend it). Some can.
Jordan’s head’s not in the game? He misses shots and the other team runs circles around him. Brady isn’t mentally ready? He misses open receivers and his passer rating is in the 50s.
Biles has a loss of confidence? She potentially breaks her neck on a missed vault.
You can’t compare athletes where for one, the risk is performing poorly, and for the other, the risk is dying.
The team got silver. This really is a first world problem.
(Put another way - get over it people. Simone is, in fact, the GOAT.)
It’s red meat for fat white conservative boomers to ridicule another outspoken black and/or female athlete who has accomplished everything that’s possible in their sport.
Let’s face it, the same people who are giving Biles grief over this ALSO gave Naomi Osaka a bunch of shit for pulling out of the French Open - which hurt nobody but herself. So they can all suck it
(also, what @TroutMan said. That shit is dangerous if your mind isn’t able to be 100% focused on it)
My pitting - the local right wing rag ran a story on how Naomi Osaka was the wrong person to light the Olympic Torch because she wasn’t really Japanese enough, and maybe this athlete would be better or that athlete would be better. Dudes, you’re not fooling anyone, you just don’t like her because she wore BLM masks at the US Open, please get a life
Fair point. I suppose it’s like if somewhere was to say they were no longer up for the hike to the top of Mt Everest when they are sooooo close, and that we needed to stop and go down. It’s the correct decision.
One of my favorite things about the Olympics is that it’s a chance to see sports, and athletes, that get almost no attention at any other time. I like it when the ceremonial moments, like lighting the cauldron, follow that same approach. I remember Rafer Johnson, gold medalist in the decathlon in 1960, lighting the cauldron in the 1984 Games. I thought it was a bad choice when Muhammad Ali was chosen in 1996; I don’t dislike him, but he’d already had his time in the limelight. I wish they’d gotten someone a bit more neglected by history, like Bob Beamon or Billy Mills.
I wouldn’t have chose Osaka for the same reason. I don’t know who would have been a good Japanese Olympics legend, but there must be somebody.
I remember this as well. My dad was really into RC stuff, and Hanno Prettner was a big deal around that time, so I got a butt-load of Liechtenstein in those days. Knew more about it than I really wanted to. I did meet the guy, however.