Two-time Olympic medalist and Simone Biles' former teammate Laurie Hernandez recently explained why the former rarely gets injured despite the physical demands of gymnastics. The duo represented the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Biles made waves at this year's Paris Olympics in her third Summer Games appearance. First off, the 27-year-old contributed to Team USA's all-around gold victory and then bagged three individual medals in the individual all-around, vault, and floor exercise. Her victory in the team event held historic significance as she helped lead the United States to their first team gold since the 2016 Rio Olympics.
With her Paris Olympics success, Biles cemented her status as the most decorated Olympic gymnast in US history. Her Olympic medal-winning spree began with her debut at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, where she captivated the gymnastics world by winning four golds and a bronze.
Decoding Biles' remarkable consistency over the years with minimal injuries, her former Rio team all-around gold medalist, Laurie Hernandez, attributed the success to her exceptional mental strength in episode three titled "I will defy the odds" of Simone Biles Rising: Part 2.
"It's like the older you get, the more aches and pains you get, whether you're a gymnast or not, those pains are gonna kick in," she said. "It just means you have to train smarter. Actually pay attention to mental health and how the brain is affecting physical performance." [13:00 onwards]
"For an athlete like Simone, there's a reason why we're seeing very few injuries from her; now it's just about paying attention up here [to be mentally strong]."
Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez reflect on Skye Blakely, Kayla DiCello and Shilese Jones' injuries at the US Olympic Trials
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During the US Olympic Trials, the American team had to face a series of setbacks as three of their gymnasts—Skye Blakely, Kayla DiCello and Shilese Jones—suffered injuries, which brought a sad end to their campaign before it even began. Discussing the same, Biles expressed that it was heartbreaking for her to see her teammates go through such difficulties.
"It's so sad seeing a teammate go down. Mentally it affects all of the athletes," Biles said (via episode three of Simone Biles Rising: Part 2). [34:36 onwards]
"They're all competing against one another but they are friends. They've been friends for years on end so it's so hard to watch your friends go down like crying, getting wheelchaired off. It's a really scary feeling and then looking at that and thinking, hmm, okay I have to compete now. So just gotta figure out how to reset," Hernandez added.
Season 2 of Simone Biles Rising premiered on Wednesday (Oct. 23) at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.