"You have absolutely no control over your body"- When Simone Biles' teammate Aleah Finnegan backed the gymnast after 'twisties' incident at Olympics

At the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles was forced to withdraw from multiple competition finals due to her mental health. While the internet was divided in their support of the American, her fellow gymnasts showed support, including LSU Tigers star and former Team USA member, Aleah Finnegan.

During the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles helped America qualify for the team events finals and was the only woman to make it to all five individual finals. However, the 27-year-old chose to forego competing in the team finals, before going on to miss the all-around, floor, vault, and uneven bars finals.

Explaining her decision, Biles revealed that she was dealing with the ‘twisties’ and wouldn't be competing to prioritize her safety. The ‘twisties' are psychological phenomena wherein a gymnast loses a sense of awareness while in the air, posing a significant risk of injury.

Many fans came out in support of the gymnast, hailing her as brave for her honesty and decision to prioritize her health and safety. Amongst them was Aleah Finnegan, a former team USA member and current NCAA champion alongside the LSU Tigers. Taking to X, Finnegan had shown support for Biles, writing,

“I’ve had the twisties since I was 11. I cannot imagine the fear of having it happen to you during competition. They have very limited equipment and mats in Tokyo to help something like this get fixed, let alone within a day. You have absolutely no control over your body and what it does.”

At the Tokyo Olympics, Biles did go on to compete in the balance beam finals, performing a scaled-down routine and clinching bronze nonetheless.

Simone Biles and Aleah Finnegan to clash at the Paris Olympics

LSU v Auburn

While Simone Biles and Aleah Finnegan were teammates on the US National team between 2019 and 2021, the two will now lock horns as competitors at the Paris Olympics 2024.

In 2021, Finnegan had originally called time on her elite career. However, she later reconsidered, and in March 2023 announced that she was making a comeback to the international stage, this time competing for the Philippines.

While the LSU Tigers herself was born and raised in America, her mother is from the Philippines, and her elder sister previously competed for the nation internationally. In 2023, she qualified for the Paris Olympics after her performance at the World Championship.

Simone Biles will also be in action at the Game. While the World Champion still has to compete at the U.S Olympic Team Trials, she is nearly guaranteed a ticket to Paris.