What are twisties in gymnastics? Everything about the mental block that had forced Simone Biles to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles’ Tokyo Olympics campaign was largely marred by Twisties, forcing her to withdraw from all the event finals except balance beam, where she returned to win the bronze medal. The seven-time Olympic medalist isn't the only one who has faced this; it's a common issue in gymnastics.

From Laurie Hernandez to Joscelyn Roberson to Aleah Finnegan, several gymnasts have opened up about facing the issue over the last few years. However, it only came to the limelight after Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

What are twisties in gymnastics?

Twisties is a mental block gymnasts sometimes face while performing the skills airborne. It usually happens during a floor or a vault routine, breaking the coordination between the mind and body of the gymnast. They lose the sense of their position in the air, and although it happens only for a split second, it's enough to disrupt the gymnast's routine.

Then comes the fear of landing awkwardly and getting hurt. Explaining the mental block, Laurie Hernandez told Olympics.com:

“The rhythm is off, and your brain will like stutter step for half a second and that's enough to throw off the whole skill. And, so, it happens, and it takes a second to get over that.”

While there are no specific reasons as to why Twisties occur, it's usually caused by a sense of fear or anxiety. Involuntary muscle spasms are also believed to be one of the reasons behind Twisties. During the Olympic Games, the gymnasts are not provided with a foam pit, which minimizes the risk of injury if an athlete fails to land properly.

Almost every gymnast goes through twisties at some point in their careers, but it only came to limelight after Simone Biles faced it during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was competing in the team finals and while doing a vault routine, Biles only completed 1.5 rotations out of 2.5. She landed awkwardly, but safely, and later announced her decision to withdraw citing twisties.

"They saw it a little bit in practice.. having a little bit of the twisties,” Simone Biles told reporters after withdrawing from the women’s team event.

Tokyo Olympics wasn't the only time Simone Biles encountered twisties

Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Simone Biles (Photo-Getty)

Speaking on the podcast ‘Call Her Daddy’, Simone Biles claimed that she didn't feel ‘comfortable’ when twisties occurred to her at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“It doesn’t feel comfortable, I have no idea where I am, but I’m twisting, praying I land on my feet. I felt like I was fighting my body and my mind to do these tricks," she said. (34:50)

Biles had faced the issue earlier in 2019 as well, claiming that she had forgotten how to ‘twist and flip'.

“2019, at the beginning of the year, I forgot how to twist and flip. It was great,” Biles told Olympics.com in January 2020.

Before taking the Rio Olympics by storm with four gold medals, Simone Biles had faced the twisties in the lead-up to the Games. However, the seven-time Olympic medalist has prioritized her mental health more after the Tokyo incident and is now set for a ‘redemption’ tour at the Paris Olympics 2024.