Olympics, better late than never

[WBT 20979]

Looking like 5th place to me

[ztejas 44227]

Gross.

[ztejas 44227]

2 minutes ago, WBT said:

Looking like 5th place to me

4th

You called it right. That 50m stretch  fucked us. Not sure what happened there.

Edited July 28, 2021 by ztejas

[jeevsie 3789]

Oof.  So close, then lost it.

[Nolacycling 893]

Watching the swimmers underwater techniques off the start and turns reminds me(flashback music)... I was on deck at Eddie Reese's 1st practice at the Texas Swim Center and he got in the pool and talked about how that shimmy was the future of swimming. 

Soon the rules were changed to limit the distance spent underwater because it is so efficient.

Thank you for your time.

[mchookem 16768]

the masks they wear on the metal podium...

[ztejas 44227]

This canoe slolom shit is wild. 

[naija 3064]

I would say in a lineup of steroid (or doping) suspects that was made up of Russia, China and the US; ummmm, the US wouldn’t exactly be leading the charge.

[Nolacycling 893]

Womens polo tied w/Hungary in 4th.

[Nolacycling 893]

More polo. It's a group game. BUT, Hungary tied with fucking ROC. So, another tough game.

9-8 USA, 4TH

[Nolacycling 893]

Tied, 1:53.

[Nolacycling 893]

Hungarian goalie is formidable. 

[Nolacycling 893]

Very unusual shot-that worked 

Hun +1

[Chico_SA 529]

Our shooting is off just a bit. Lot's of posts.  Hungarians are really physical.

 

[Chico_SA 529]

Damn

 

[Nolacycling 893]

Yes. Hungary although large moves well. Played beautiful defense last 45 seconds.

[Nolacycling 893]

Quote

Hungary wins. Great Olympic sport and game.

 

[Michael Knight 13224]

Simone Biles withdraws from individual all around

 

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Michael Knight

[Fastbreak 4049]

if she won, she would be on a Wheaties Box.  If she lost on one would give a shit.  Not sure how they "weight of the world" was on her shoulders.

[BurntOrange&White 41865]

What a quitter. Should have just given her spot to another competitor. 

[UTGrad98 2339]

Simone Biles is not the GOAT. You don't get to be the GOAT when you let your teammates and country down. If I had a daughter who watched this I would use it as a talking point about mental toughness and perseverance in the face of adversity.

As I got older I never seriously considered it when people said this generation is soft or wont be prepared for the real world because I never saw things like this happen. There is an entire generation now seeing first hand that it is OK to quit when things get tough. And it isn't just this example. Others have happened recently too and this attitude is spreading. Everyone feels at one time or another that the weight of the world is on their shoulders especially in sports growing up. You use that experience to become a stronger person. Playing sports has helped me immensely throughout life because there is always adversity and it isn't always going to be easy.

Most importantly I was taught you never leave your wingman, you never let your teammates down. Ever.

And now not only is it OK to do that, it is celebrated. 

[ChickenSandwich 9959]

The hero worship for quitting is a little over the top. 

[Kermit 3162]

13 minutes ago, UTGrad98 said:

Simone Biles is not the GOAT. You don't get to be the GOAT when you let your teammates and country down. If I had a daughter who watched this I would use it as a talking point about mental toughness and perseverance in the face of adversity.

As I got older I never seriously considered it when people said this generation is soft or wont be prepared for the real world because I never saw things like this happen. There is an entire generation now seeing first hand that it is OK to quit when things get tough. And it isn't just this example. Others have happened recently too and this attitude is spreading. Everyone feels at one time or another that the weight of the world is on their shoulders especially in sports growing up. You use that experience to become a stronger person. Playing sports has helped me immensely throughout life because there is always adversity and it isn't always going to be easy.

Most importantly I was taught you never leave your wingman, you never let your teammates down. Ever.

And now not only is it OK to do that, it is celebrated. 

See, I have three daughters. I actually used this as a teaching lesson yesterday. I told them that there were going to be these idiots who have no point of reference for the things that they’re going through, who would try to tell them what they should have done in this instance, or that situation. They wouldn’t have lived through the triumphs  of their hard work, while simultaneously having to work through the horrors of the abuse suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and shelter them from harm. Who cared for nothing other than winning, or prestige, and not for their well being. I told them that these people are morons and their opinions were weren’t deserving of the time it took to read them. That getting sexually abused, living through the ramifications of that abuse, and having to represent that same team who allowed the abuse to happen while still providing nothing to the women who suffered the abuse didn’t require them to continue with competition if they felt overwhelmed and in a shit place.
 

We see people suffer all the time from depression and other mental issues and collectively say, “if only we had noticed sooner!” Well, people are noticing sooner. These are the ramifications. The most decorated gymnast the US has seen, who has never had an issue competing at any level, who lived through the Karolyis, through Nassar, is suddenly fucked up enough to walk away from the very competition that she’s lived and worked for her entire life. We should celebrate her bravery and her accomplishments for the very team who up until a couple of years ago, didn’t give a rats ass about the abuse it put her through to get there. 

[Chuckie Finster 23079]

I still don't understand the big deal.  

This isn't like she took someone's spot then refused to get off the plane.  She went out there, competed, realized something was off and then did the thing that most helped her team at that point.  Sure, it would have been better for her to peer into her crystal ball before she left for the Olympics and see that this was going to happen, but unfortunately she isn't magic.  If a pitcher who normally throws 99 goes out there in Game 1 of the World Series and suddenly his fastball is 87, what should he do?  Power through it and let the other team tee off in the name of "toughness"?

Withdrawing at that point was the best move to help her team win.  Her withdrawing this morning gives another American a shot at a medal in the individual event.  All of the criticism seems like it's from people who only have read the headline and don't understand what is actually happening.

Side note: why do some of y'all care so much?  Most of the people berating Simone are the same people actively rooting against our soccer and basketball teams, so it's obviously not a country pride thing.

The need for every single issue to become political warfare is fucking insanity

[Neonmoon 38130]

9 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

If a pitcher who normally throws 99 goes out there in Game 1 of the World Series and suddenly his fastball is 87, what should he do?  Power through it and let the other team tee off in the name of "toughness"?

Perfect analogy. She doesn’t have it. She knows it. She’s letting the alternate take her place. This isn’t complicated 

[ChickenSandwich 9959]

People attacking her personally are ridiculous, but it’s a big deal because the  face of the games just quit. Not hurt, just quit. 
 

We can say it’s fear of getting injured, or we can say it’s fear of getting embarrassed by competing and losing. If she competes and gets beat in each competition, her money/legacy take a hit. This way she can try to preserve both of those while receiving cover from the media. Brave, heroic. Bullshit. 
 

Athletics at the highest level are often separated by the mental toughness. Physical is one part, mental the other and she crumbled mentally on the biggest stage. 

Edited July 28, 2021 by ChickenSandwich

[G650 14437]

12 hours ago, ztejas said:

That's a little bit harier than what Biles faces in competition.

Yeah it really isn't though. She would risk being dead or a paraplegic just as much as those two.

[alincoln 2391]

2 minutes ago, G650 said:

Yeah it really isn't though. She would risk being dead or a paraplegic just as much as those two.

I've never heard of an elite gymnast dying or becoming a paraplegic as a result of an accident in competition.  I'm sure it has happened but I seriously doubt it has happened as regularly as in auto racing before the safety era.  As for Honnold, he is dead if he falls.  Gymnasts fall every day and the vast majority aren't injured at all much less dead.

[BurntOrange&White 41865]

Lebron does the same thing when it’s apparent his team isn’t going to win. 

[alincoln 2391]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Lebron does the same thing when it’s apparent his team isn’t going to win. 

And that's why he is a role model

[GreenspointTexas 9969]

Im all for a young women keeping her health over a piece of metal. 
 

[Kermit 3162]

2 minutes ago, alincoln said:

I've never heard of an elite gymnast dying or becoming a paraplegic as a result of an accident in competition.  I'm sure it has happened but I seriously doubt it has happened as regularly as in auto racing before the safety era.  As for Honnold, he is dead if he falls.  Gymnasts fall every day and the vast majority aren't injured at all much less dead.

The vast majority are injured. How do you think Larry Nassar had such a prominent role within the organization? They were/are expected to power through it. 

[Blotto 24021]

22 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Perfect analogy. She doesn’t have it. She knows it. She’s letting the alternate take her place. This isn’t complicated 

I have no issue with her making that decision, it's certainly her right. She's not the only athlete to face this type of pressure, and she chose the path that she chose. But let's fucking stop with the hero worship, which I realize is mostly being driven by the media, and she can't control.

Women's gymnastics at that level is a fucked up, exploitative sport, which I prefer to ignore. Now I have to listen to about 300% more bullshit than usual about it. Why isn't anybody concerned about my needs and concerns? I'm putting you on notice, NBC....

 

[G650 14437]

7 minutes ago, alincoln said:

I've never heard of an elite gymnast dying or becoming a paraplegic as a result of an accident in competition.  I'm sure it has happened but I seriously doubt it has happened as regularly as in auto racing before the safety era.  As for Honnold, he is dead if he falls.  Gymnasts fall every day and the vast majority aren't injured at all much less dead.

Happens every few years. I believe one of the US girls died from it back in the 90's.

 

But the comparison isn't over the top is the point. Anyone who believes otherwise is welcome to go stand on a  roof and imagine diving head first into the ground. Because that's essentially what we are talking about.

[A-Tex Devil 2500]

The people shitting on Biles can fuck right off. I am ok with some criticism, and maybe she could have handled it bette (but frankly her teammates support her and she doesn’t owe us shit, so she can handle it how she wants).  
 

But those saying she simply quit or are disparaging her character can get bent.  It was discussed upthread in a stupid Formula 1 comparison but she has the yips.  Which is a real thing in gymnastics.  I competed many …. Many …. years ago and went through it on floor exercise.  And it’s not like you are going to hit the cart girl or throw the ball over the pitchers head on a routine throwback.  You could get severely injured. The team probably does worse than Silver if she tries to go out there.  

[Zeus 6864]

23 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

The Biles headlines are putting quotes about medical issues. If the issue is non-physical but she comes back for the individual events, the media will struggle on to report on it. If Durant decided to go home or hand out towels because the Olympics are causing him some mental strain, would we congratulate him on taking care of his health? 

And I'm in agreement that mental strain/illness/anxiety is a real condition. It's just unfortunate when that occurs in the middle of a competition when your teammates are stuck.

Tough subject.

Aaron Rodgers has decided the pressure is too much and he's not coming out in the second half, good for him he's a hero for prioritizing mental health!

[Blotto 24021]

5 minutes ago, G650 said:

Happens every few years. I believe one of the US girls died from it back in the 90's.

 

But the comparison isn't over the top is the point. Anyone who believes otherwise is welcome to go stand on a  roof and imagine diving head first into the ground. Because that's essentially what we are talking about.

OK let's now do free soloing deaths in the 2000's

Quote

Dwight Bishop fell (19 July 2004; age 49) while climbing alone and unroped along the Grand Traverse route on Grand Teton peak in Wyoming.

Jimmy Ray Forester fell (24 November 2006; age 43) while free-soloing in El Potrero Chico, Mexico. Forester, an experienced, talented climber, failed to return to camp after setting out on The Scariest Ride in the Park, a 40-pitch 5.9 ridge route known for loose rock. He was found the next day at the base of the wall.

George Gardner fell to his death (25 July 2008; age 58) while free soloing in Grand Teton National Park.

John Bachar died (5 July 2009; age 52) in a free solo accident at Dike Wall near Mammoth Lakes, California.

Akihira Tawara died (13 September 2011; age 27) while free solo climbing the Directissima 5.8 route on Yamnuska.

Michael J. Ybarra died (July 2012;[24] age 45) climbing solo on The Matterhorn Peak in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Brad Parker fell (16 August 2014; age 36) about 300 feet to his death while attempting to climb Matthes Crest Traverse in Yosemite, California.

Andrew Barnes died (12 June 2015; age 46) falling 50 ft (15 m) free solo climbing in New York's Shawangunk Mountains.

Angus Moloney died (27 September 2015; age 22) falling 100 ft (30 m) free-solo climbing from the Fifth Pinnacle above the Gregory Canyon Trail, Boulder Open Spaces and Mountain Parks.

Austin Howell died (30 June 2019; age 31) after a fall while free soloing at Shortoff Mountain in North Carolina.

I'm also guessing there are orders of magnitude more participants in gymnastics every year. Sure, gymnasts can get injured as they throw themselves around. But let's not compare the risks of gymnastics to free soloing for fucks sake. 

[ChickenSandwich 9959]

10 minutes ago, A-Tex Devil said:

The people shitting on Biles can fuck right off. I am ok with some criticism, and maybe she could have handled it bette (but frankly her teammates support her and she doesn’t owe us shit, so she can handle it how she wants).  
 

But those saying she simply quit or are disparaging her character can get bent.  It was discussed upthread in a stupid Formula 1 comparison but she has the yips.  Which is a real thing in gymnastics.  I competed many …. Many …. years ago and went through it on floor exercise.  And it’s not like you are going to hit the cart girl or throw the ball over the pitchers head on a routine throwback.  You could get severely injured. The team probably does worse than Silver if she tries to go out there.  

The yips are embarrassing. She owes no one anything. I feel sorry for her, but she choked on the biggest stage. Like great athletes across all sports. She is not unique. 
 

But she did quit. 

Edited July 28, 2021 by ChickenSandwich

[Hook1997 5509]

56 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

1.  I. still don't understand the big deal.  

2.  If a pitcher who normally throws 99 goes out there in Game 1 of the World Series and suddenly his fastball is 87, what should he do?  Power through it and let the other team tee off in the name of "toughness"?

Withdrawing at that point was the best move to help her team win. 

3.  Side note: why do some of y'all care so much?  Most of the people berating Simone are the same people actively rooting against our soccer and basketball teams, so it's obviously not a country pride thing.

4. The need for every single issue to become political warfare is fucking insanity

1.  It’s because how many people have done this before in the past?  They are all scared, nervous,  a little off sometimes but they do what professional athletes that train non stop always do, go out and given their best. 
2.  Her 87 mph pitch is going to better then the rest of the team at some events, if she pulls from all of them that will really be disappointing.  Also from before with the nascar comparison, she’s been doing this since she could walk I doubt she was so off she was going to badly hurt herself.  
3.  Not me and I’m not berating, I just think she just didn’t have her top top stuff so she chose to not participate instead of taking a L.  Which is not a good example to set. 
4.  This 100%!!   People openly cheering for us to lose in women’s soccer on Facebook because some of them kneeled is just pathetic and sad but everything form a virus’s to the price of beans that day is now and it just seems crazy to me.  

[Chuckie Finster 23079]

2.  Her 87 mph pitch is going to better then the rest of the team at some events, if she pulls from all of them that will really be disappointing.  Also from before with the nascar comparison, she’s been doing this since she could walk I doubt she was so off she was going to badly hurt herself.  

See, this is where I think people are only paying attention to the headlines.  Her vault was bad.   
I know this is hard to believe, but she was actively hurting her team. 

Nobody would think Justin Verlander was honorable if he gives up 7 runs in the first, obviously is having technical issues, and refuses to let his coach go to the bullpen because he's "tough."
It just seems like people feel like they need to form a hot take, and end up twisting themselves into saying that "continuing to bring your team down in the name of toughness is less selfish than giving someone else a chance to compete."

[WBT 20979]

Basketball power Latvia just won the men's 3x3 gold.  They had some guy blowout the sole of his shoe halfway through but he taped it back on and finished the game.

[Napoleon 8833]

1 hour ago, Chuckie Finster said:

I still don't understand the big deal.  

This isn't like she took someone's spot then refused to get off the plane.  She went out there, competed, realized something was off and then did the thing that most helped her team at that point.  Sure, it would have been better for her to peer into her crystal ball before she left for the Olympics and see that this was going to happen, but unfortunately she isn't magic.  If a pitcher who normally throws 99 goes out there in Game 1 of the World Series and suddenly his fastball is 87, what should he do?  Power through it and let the other team tee off in the name of "toughness"?

Withdrawing at that point was the best move to help her team win.  Her withdrawing this morning gives another American a shot at a medal in the individual event.  All of the criticism seems like it's from people who only have read the headline and don't understand what is actually happening.

Side note: why do some of y'all care so much?  Most of the people berating Simone are the same people actively rooting against our soccer and basketball teams, so it's obviously not a country pride thing.

The need for every single issue to become political warfare is fucking insanity

[naija 3064]

18 minutes ago, Hook1997 said:

2.  Her 87 mph pitch is going to better then the rest of the team at some events, if she pulls from all of them that will really be disappointing.  Also from before with the nascar comparison, she’s been doing this since she could walk I doubt she was so off she was going to badly hurt herself.  
3.  Not me and I’m not berating, I just think she just didn’t have her top top stuff so she chose to not participate instead of taking a L.  Which is not a good example to set. 
 

Sorry, but why is it so hard to believe that she could be seriously injured? What is the frame of reference that some on here are speaking from? Contrast that with people who have competed in gymnastics and diving which induces the same level of disorientation saying the risk is very real. How does your take trump their opinions? Not to mention that she has added routines that are considered dangerous enough even when she was at the top of her game that there was a very real controversy about the scoring with the implication being that gymnasts were strongly discouraged from attempting them.

 

 

 

 

[The Dog 44861]

38 minutes ago, A-Tex Devil said:

But those saying she simply quit or are disparaging her character can get bent.  It was discussed upthread in a stupid Formula 1 comparison but she has the yips.  Which is a real thing in gymnastics.  I competed many …. Many …. years ago and went through it on floor exercise.  And it’s not like you are going to hit the cart girl or throw the ball over the pitchers head on a routine throwback.  You could get severely injured. The team probably does worse than Silver if she tries to go out there.  

They were mentioning this on the broadcast last night and I'm glad you brought it up.

Most of us don't think of gymnastics much except every four years but it appears to be a real thing in that sport just like golf, baseball, etc. 

1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

The hero worship for quitting is a little over the top. 

I agree with this. Also agreed with it in regards to Osaka. 

I mean, it's not like Biles had never won anything and just pulled a massive choke job her first time in the spotlight. She's the defending olympic champion in four events and has won 19 gold medals in world championships over the last eight years. This isn't her first rodeo. If she says something's wrong and she can't compete then she deserves the benefit of the doubt. 

Edit to add this article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/28/twisties-gymnastics-simone-biles-tokyo-olympics/

The "twisties" are what they call the "yips" in gymnastics. A good read for anyone who thinks she just "quit". 

Edited July 28, 2021 by The Dog

[Nice Guy Eddie 13731]

12 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

The yips are embarrassing. She owes no one anything. I feel sorry for her, but she choked on the biggest stage. Like great athletes across all sports. She is not unique. 
 

But she did quit. 

Yep. The basic analogy of the baseball pitcher pulling himself out of a game is a false comparison. The baseball pitcher knows a reliever can come in, and most likely with better stuff than he can throw. Gymnasts isn't structured like that. Maybe it should be, but its not. 

I will agree that Biles quitting is very different than other gymnasts. Doesn't she perform flips/maneuvers/whatever-you-call-it, that no other woman has done before? Back to a better baseball analogy. If there was an outlier pitcher that could throw at 120 but in one game was "stuck" at 100, I could understand the immediate concern of what is happening. Is he hurt or about to injure himself?  If the pitcher responded that he just wasn't in the game, he would be expected to get himself mentality back in the game right now. He has trained himself to not check out mentally. 

btw, I think its a great thing that female gymnasts are speaking up for themselves more. I imagine in the past, one of the Karolyis (& many other coaches) would have screamed at a gymnast to get back out there.

 

 

[GopherRock 1773]

12 hours ago, mchookem said:

random observation on gymnastics that i think is fascinating...

the American female gymnasts are shaped completely different from other countries. it's really weird considering they all do the same thing! i mean they are all petite...but our girls are so muscular, broad shoulders and chests, thick legs...they just look like little tight balls of muscle. they make me think 'power'.

 

538: Time for the End of the Teen Gymnast

Quote

And men’s coaches started migrating into the women’s ranks. It’s probably difficult to imagine this now with the image seared into our collective memory of coach Béla Károlyi urging Kerri Strug to vault on an injured ankle at the 1996 Olympics, but for the first few decades of women’s gymnastics, the sport was administered by women, for women. FIG’s Women’s Technical Committee, which creates the rules that govern the sport, was composed entirely of women. Only female coaches were allowed onto the floor with the team or into the training halls at competitions. 

The influx of male coaches, either former gymnasts themselves or coaches who had previously worked with young men, had a significant impact on the development of women’s gymnastics. Male gymnasts of this time were already performing complex acrobatics in their exercises, so when they became coaches for women or when coaches for men started training women, they brought that technical expertise with them and started teaching them to the women. Or, as it turned out, girls. 

Quote

“There’s been this argument that as male coaches began working the [women’s] sport, they preferred working with young girls because they have a more neutral body. It’s the same as a boy’s body — no breasts, no hips,” Cervin said. “Working with an adult woman is an entirely different thing.”

By working with young girls rather than women, the male coaches don’t have to do much by way of changing their training techniques to teach complex acrobatics. The argument that fully grown women can’t learn the new acrobatic elements is one of lazy coaches who don’t want to work too hard. Add to that the fact that kids are also easier to control and manipulate and, well, you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

 

[Blotto 24021]

3 minutes ago, WBT said:

Basketball power Latvia just won the men's 3x3 gold.  They had some guy blowout the sole of his shoe halfway through but he taped it back on and finished the game.

Thats the kind of shit about the olympics that I actually love. Cousin Balki from latvia scooping gold. Or this chick from austria in road cycling is also a real cool story. 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/26/sport/anna-kiesenhofer-olympic-gold-tokyo-2020-spt-intl/index.html

Quote

As an accomplished academic turned Olympic gold medalist, Kiesenhofer says she has always marched to the beat of her own drum. She hasn't been part of a pro cycling team since 2017, a decision she's stuck with of her own volition.

Kiesenhofer acknowledges that she's learned from past coaches, but says that fundamentally, "It just didn't fit my character. I like to be independent. I like to make my choices like my training plan, my races and so on. I have just this lonely fighter approach."
What she may lack in physical support, she certainly makes up by using her intellectual prowess.

Having earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Cambridge, England and a PhD in applied mathematics from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Kiesenhofer meticulously plans her own training, nutrition and race strategy.

"As a mathematician you're used to solving problems on your own, so that's the way I approach cycling," she says.
"Many cyclists are used to having people that actually do that for them [...] I mean, they have a trainer, they have a nutritionist, they have the guy that plans the race for them," she adds. I just do all these jobs myself."

 

[wildcat09 29579]

1 hour ago, ChickenSandwich said:

People attacking her personally are ridiculous, but it’s a big deal because the  face of the games just quit. Not hurt, just quit. 
 

We can say it’s fear of getting injured, or we can say it’s fear of getting embarrassed by competing and losing. If she competes and gets beat in each competition, her money/legacy take a hit. This way she can try to preserve both of those while receiving cover from the media. Brave, heroic. Bullshit. 
 

Athletics at the highest level are often separated by the mental toughness. Physical is one part, mental the other and she crumbled mentally on the biggest stage. 

Simone Biles is mentally tougher than you could ever comprehend being you little worm.

[ChickenSandwich 9959]

1 minute ago, wildcat09 said:

Simone Biles is mentally tougher than you could ever comprehend being you little worm.

[naija 3064]

Simone Biles said she got the ‘twisties.’ Gymnasts immediately understood.

Imagine flying through the air, springing off a piece of equipment as you prepare to flip on one axis while twisting on another. It all happens fast, so there’s little time to adjust. You rely on muscle memory, trusting that it’ll work out, because with so much practice, it usually does.

But then suddenly, you’re upside down in midair and your brain feels disconnected from your body. Your limbs that usually control how much you spin have stopped listening, and you feel lost. You hope all the years you’ve spent in this sport will guide your body to a safe landing position.

When Simone Biles pushed off the vaulting table Tuesday, she entered that terrifying world of uncertainty. In the Olympic team final, Biles planned to perform a 2½-twisting vault, but her mind chose to stall after just 1½ twists instead.

“I had no idea where I was in the air,” Biles said. “I could have hurt myself.”

Biles, who subsequently withdrew from the team competition and then the all-around final a day later, described what went wrong during that vault as “having a little bit of the twisties.”

The cute-sounding term, well-known in the gymnastics community, describes a frightening predicament. When gymnasts have the “twisties,” they lose control of their bodies as they spin through the air. Sometimes they twist when they hadn’t planned to. Other times they stop midway through, as Biles did. And after experiencing the twisties once, it’s very difficult to forget. Instinct gets replaced by thought. Thought quickly leads to worry. Worry is difficult to escape.

“Simply, your life is in danger when you’re doing gymnastics,” said Sean Melton, a former elite gymnast who dealt with the twisties through his entire career. “And then, when you add this unknown of not being able to control your body while doing these extremely dangerous skills, it adds an extreme level of stress. And it’s terrifying, honestly, because you have no idea what is going to happen.”

The twisties are essentially like the yips in other sports. But in gymnastics, the phenomenon affects the athletes when they’re in the air, so the mind-body disconnect can be dangerous, even for someone of Biles’s caliber.

After Tuesday’s team final, Biles described mental health challenges that went well beyond gymnastics, with roots in the overwhelming pressure to perform as one of the faces of these Olympics and in the stresses of the pandemic year. Her experience with the twisties is impossible to separate from those broader issues, and regardless, it’s irrelevant to the dangers posed by them.

Biles had started to have trouble with some skills leading up to these Games. Fellow Olympic team member Jordan Chiles, who trains with Biles in Spring, Tex., said Biles had been “giving us a little heart attack.”

Biles performs some of the world’s hardest skills, including a double-twisting double tuck dismount off beam and a triple-twisting double tuck on floor. To execute those elements safely, Biles said, “you have to be there 100 percent or 120 percent, because if you’re not the slightest bit, you can get hurt.” As a 24-year-old veteran, Biles realized she might not have been able to regain that mental fortitude.

When Biles mentioned that she had struggled with the twisties, former gymnasts flooded social media with empathy. Some detailed injuries they suffered after getting lost midway through a skill. One person called the twisties the “the scariest, most uncontrollable sensation.”

“It’s like a nonserious stroke,” 1988 Olympian Missy Marlowe tweeted.

Ariana Guerra, a former U.S. elite gymnast, dealt with the twisties multiple times during her career. At one point, she trained a double layout on floor and that same skill with a full twist during the second flip. She needed to warm up the double layout first and would worry that she would twist accidentally. The trouble spiraled, and soon, she couldn’t perform a simple back tuck without twisting. She worried about how the twisties could spread to skills on other apparatuses.

Guerra would go to the trampoline and tell herself: “Just a back handspring. Just a back handspring.” At the last second, she’d pick up her hands so they didn’t touch the ground. That was the only route toward performing a flip without her body adding an unintentional twist. After practice, she would do backward rolls — a skill that preschoolers learn — in hopes of regaining that feeling of only rotating without spinning.

“That's how mental it was,” Guerra said.

It took about two weeks to overcome, Guerra said, and she was in the midst of her preparation for an important competition. She thinks the twisties are more likely to surface during moments of stress.

Melton had the same issue in which his “body, for some reason, just automatically starts twisting and you just have no control over it.” Then, rather than focusing on technique, he’d start thinking about the twisties, which would lead to more trouble. At one competition, when Melton saluted the judges and looked down the runway, he couldn’t remember which direction he twisted on his new vault

For Melton, the twisties turned into a recurring problem. He eventually tailored his routines to include skills that didn’t lead to getting lost in the air. “There was no point in trying to fight the twisties at that point in my life,” said Melton, who recently retired from the sport.

Earlier in his career, Melton’s coaches would have him progress through basic elements — first a back tuck, then a back layout, a half twist and a full. But doing so took time. And at his gym, Melton could use the pits to eliminate the risk of injury while he focused on working through the issue.

“But when you’re at the Olympic Games, you don’t have that luxury of training in a facility where you can take a day to do basics, re-control your gymnastics and go into pits,” Melton said. “It’s tough when you’re at a competition and you’re dealing with it, because the stress of the competition’s weighing on you.”