The G.O.A.T. of American gymnastics, Simone Biles came to the defense of American skier Mikaela Shiffrin on Thursday after she took to Instagram to share how she’s been bullied following her performance at the Beijing Games. Shiffrin’s scores unfortunately failed in earning her an individual medal, and because of this, the haters came out hard.
The 26 year old Olympian shared some of the comments she’s received in an IG post, including a few that read “Choker,” and “Can’t handle the pressure.” Fortunately, our girl Simone had her back in her comment section.
“I know this all too well, I’m sorry you’re experiencing this,” she commented on Shiffrin’s post. Biles’ familiarity with the experience stems from her time at the Tokyo Summer Games of 2020 where she was plagued by a bout of the “twisties”, a term gymnasts have coined to describe the feeling of the brain’s disconnection to the body middair.
The condition ultimately led Biles to withdraw from the all around final, additionally citing other mental health issues she was also experiencing at the time. The internet was not at all kind, many calling her a quitter. Her show of support to fellow athlete Shiffrin was an outpouring of the empathy she did not receive in her own moment of despair.
Biles’ comment continues on to read, “people suck…. damned if you do damned if you don’t. But just remember how AMAZING you are. We’re all cheering for you, proud of you, love & support you!” Biles added. “Go kick some ass saturday! But most importantly, embrace the moment. Have fun ... love ya!!!”
We’re certain that the four time gold medalist is this supportive year round, but perhaps she’s particularly loving in this season given her most recent announcement. On Valentine’s Day, Biles posted that her boyfriend Jonathan Owens of the Houston Texans had proposed.
“THE EASIEST YES,” Biles captioned the Instagram carousel of proposal pictures. “I can’t wait to spend forever & ever with you, you’re everything I dreamed of and more! let’s get married FIANCÉ 💍🥺🥲🤎 @jowens_3.”