Thank You Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka

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Unless you were living under a rock last week; you know that 4 x Olympic gold medallist and 19 x World Champion gold medallist Simone Biles decided to put her mental health first.

Last week before the Women’s Gymnastics team finale, Simon Biles said on a public stage “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being,” as her reason for pulling out of the finale at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Since that moment a slew of articles have followed, These articles were mostly positive with only a few pointless opinions coming from people who either wanted to chase clout or whose only athletic ability is a problematic opinion *cough* Piers Morgan *cough*.

Simone Biles [ Image credit @simonebiles ]

Besides putting her physical health, sanity, mental health and all around wellbeing first Simone Biles did something that mirrored what Naomi Osaka did back in June at the French Open. Though, the reaction to Osaka’s not participating in the post-game press conference didn’t feel as positive as the reaction to Biles.

Regardless, these Gen Z women are changing what being a top athlete looks like, they’re pioneers in the sports changing culture and redefining what strength means in athletes in 2021. Both women said on global platforms 'my impacted mental health needs to heal just as much as any injury’.

When Osaka announced she wouldn’t be exposing herself to the notoriously brutal French Open press and announced she had been struggling with depression on and off since 2018, the French Open didn’t meet her with understanding but instead fined her $15,000. Later that July Osaka peened an essay for Time, where she wrote in her words “It’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it” 

Simone Biles [ Image @simonebiles ]

It was easy for commentators at the time to say ‘well, this is sport!’ or ‘Serena wouldn’t do that’ – but for the first time, the audience could relate to a sporting champion like Osaka.

Osaka’s choice is reflective of the world that most Gen-Z and Millennials live in, that mental health is and should be in everyday conversations. Regardless of being a professional athlete this is still a job to Osaka and Biles. And, like any job they’re entitled to mental health days.

Naomi Osaka [Image credit www.naomiosaka.com]

What should be noted is how brave Simone Biles is for even continuing with Team USA and gymnastics. It is often overlooked that Biles was one of the hundreds of young girls and women who were systematically failed by USA gymnastics. Biles, like many of the Team USA gymnasts, were victims of the now imprisoned former team doctor, Larry Nasser. The fact Biles managed to find the mental strength to maintain a relationship with gymnastics should be celebrated alone.

After her announcement Biles was quickly compared to US Gold Medallist Kerri Strug. Like Biles, Strug was queen of the vault and at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games won gold.

Strug famously severely injured her ankle after a bad landing, though in pain she continued on her second vault. On that second landing she tore the ligaments in her ankle and quickly collapsed in agony after the vault. Several comparisons were made online to Strug followed by the sentiment that Biles should just ‘push through it’ like Strug. Kerri Strug was quick to rebut and took to twitter saying, “Sending love to you @Simone_Biles,” along with a goat and heart emoji.

Since Strug’s gold in Atlanta the images of 1996 Team USA coach Bela Karolyi carrying Strug off were used as a symbol for gymnastics infamous ‘wins at all costs’ mentality. Karolyi might I add, was the owner of the infamous Team USA Gymnastics National Training Ranch, where Larry Nasser worked. Simone Biles should be the new symbol for Team USA Gymnastics and the growing shift in attitudes towards mental health in sporting culture. Biles is telling her fellow athletes that they’re more than commodities for public entertainment. At the time Naomi Osaka forfeited the 2021 French Open she was faced with articles, podcasts and opinion pieces that seemed split on her choice. Osaka decided she didn’t want to put her-self in a daily situation that impacted how she felt mentally.

Naomi Osaka [Image Credit - www.naomiosaka.com]

Treating Osaka’s decision like a ‘spoiled brat’ who can’t take criticism, is simply wrong. When tennis world #1 Novak Djokovic forfeited the bronze medal match in the mixed doubles at the 2020 Tokyo games, I didn’t see the same influx about his forfeit of the match. Djokovic had also been incredibly critical and vocal about Biles and Osaka, so, the forfeit created speculation that his ego was the biggest injury he had that day.

Osaka at 23 has done more for mental health on a public platform than so many of her peers; she is representative of Gen-Z’s attitude towards mental health.

“What Osaka and Biles did was another example of women of colour doing the most. The pressure and requirements on athletes is a lot, they train in extreme conditions and have spent whole childhoods dedicated to these sports. ”

These expectations and requirements on black female athletes have only been more gruelling. They’re subject to extra layers of body shaming, racism and in Serena William’s case horrifically racist cartoons, yet still we want them to be the embodiment of what ‘greatness’ needs to look like.

The fact that it came down to Gen Z black female athletes standing up for cultural change isn’t surprising; historically it is always BIPOC communities who are at the forefront of real change, challenging the status quo and saying ‘enough is enough’.

While the Olympics continues to ban any form of ‘protest’ and large sporting events like the French Open fine its athletes I would warn them to change with the times. It’s naive of both those institutions to think they can stop the need for cultural change or that sport and politics don’t mix.

If the Olympics or French Open want to survive they might want to listen to what Osaka and Biles have said and done. 

“In the meantime Osaka and Biles have reminded us that mental health isn’t second to the demands and pressures around us.”

These women are more than sporting entertainment, they’re humans who have pushed past more than I could ever imagine. I personally will never be able to thank them enough for doing the work to de-stigmatise the need for a ‘mental health day’

Thank you Naomi and Simone.

Words — Harriet Ring