"Hope we can all be more like Simone Biles"- When celebrity Trevor Noah compared gymnast's Olympic journey with how people navigate life’s challenges

Simone Biles once received high praise from popular writer and actor Trevor Noah for prioritizing her mental health. Biles had taken a two-year break from gymnastics after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to being diagnosed with twisties, a mental health condition often faced by gymnasts.

Biles made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won a staggering five medals, including four golds. She was poised for a repeat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but faced twisties during her vault routine in the team finals.

She withdrew from the team final and then all of the event final, barring the balance beam, where she returned to win a bronze medal. The 27-year-old took nearly a two-year break from the sport, and after returning with a bang at the 2023 World Championships, she was back to her best at the Paris Olympics last year.

Biles won four medals, including three golds, and per Noah, it signified the importance of taking a break from the sport. The South African media personality was all praise of Biles' bravery during an episode of his "What Now? with Trevor Noah" podcast and said:

“I hope we can all be more like Simone Biles and just take a moment to go like, yeah, I can't see the ground right now. You know, I have the twisties in my life and I'm just gonna pause for a moment to appreciate where I am, step back so that I don't fall on my head and also step back so that I don't infect the people around me."

"And then you can come back stronger...It's like Simone Biles showed everybody that your greatness isn't limited by your ability to take a moment and breathe,” he added.

Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history, with a combined 41 Olympic and World medals, and is widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time.

---

Simone Biles nominated for Sportswoman of the Year award

Simone Biles during Minnesota Vikings v Chicago Bears - Source: Getty

Simone Biles was rewarded for her remarkable Olympic comeback with a nomination for one of the sports' most prestigious awards, the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year. The American gymnast was nominated alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Aryna Sabalenka, Sifan Hassan, Faith Kipyegon, and Aitana Bonmati.

"I’m so incredibly honored to be included in this list of amazing nominees!!" she wrote on Instagram.

Biles has already won the award three times in 2017, 2019, and 2020 for her Olympic debut campaign and 2018 and 2019 World Championship campaigns, respectively. She also won the Comeback of the Year award last year for winning four gold medals on her comeback at the World Championships after the mental health break.