World gymnastics legend Simone Biles surprised her millions of followers this Saturday by sharing that she recently went through a medical emergency that she described as one of the most terrifying experiences of her entire life.
Through a publication on Instagram, the American showed a photograph from a hospital bed with several medical bracelets on her wrist and left a message that quickly generated concern in the world of sports.
“I’m not one of those who usually share things like this because I value privacy in today’s time, but almost dying was not in my plans this week,” the 29-year-old athlete wrote.
“It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life”
Although she did not offer details about the nature of the emergency, Biles made it clear that the situation was extremely delicate.
“This was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, if not the most terrifying (…) I have been in bed resting this week,” said the gymnast.
The athlete also did not explain when exactly the incident occurred or what the medical diagnosis was, although she assured that she will provide more information in the future.
“I will explain it sooner or later,” he added.
One of the most successful athletes in history
Biles is considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Throughout her extraordinary career she has won seven Olympic gold medals and multiple world titles that have made her an absolute reference in her discipline.
His most recent chapter of success came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he staged a historic comeback and won three new gold medals, reaffirming his status as a world star.
Tokyo’s background and its fight for mental health
The revelation also recalled one of the most difficult moments in his sporting career.
During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles decided to withdraw from several events after suffering from the so-called “twisties”, a mental block that causes gymnasts to lose spatial reference while performing highly complex exercises.
That decision opened a global debate about the importance of mental health in high-performance sports and made the American one of the main voices on the psychological well-being of athletes.
For now, the Olympic champion continues to recover and her followers remain attentive to new updates about the incident that she herself described as a situation in which she was close to losing her life.
