NEW YORK (Dispatches) - Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles earned Time magazine’s “Athlete of the Year” honor, the publication said on Thursday.
The 24-year-old gymnast traveled to the Tokyo Games this year with the intent of rewriting the record books but instead brought about a groundbreaking, global conversation around athletes’ mental well-being.
She dropped out of the opening event in Tokyo, citing concerns for her mental health and a case of the “twisties,” a frightening and dangerous form of mental disorientation while completing one of her gravity-defying feats.
She later returned to the competition, winning a bronze medal on the balance beam after earning the support of her fellow athletes in gymnastics and beyond.