I know lots of you aren’t watching. I’m watching on antenna so don’t yell at me. I grew up watching them with my grandmother and my girls were gymnasts. So when Simone Biles withdrew suddenly, my antennae pricked up. Media waffled on reason and she was not sobbing. She calmly disappeared and came back. That is not the demeanor of a great gymnastic chasing her dreams!
Remember when a young tennis player cited mental health and withdrew from French Open(?) And the Japanese tennis player lost early today? The US basketball team lost early?
So much weirdness in sports as of late! Methinks there is a plan to address the sports corruption and coaches abusing the athletes.
I saw Simone talking about it. Definitely a story there we aren't hearing, yet. Something happened to place such a burden of stress or anger or both on her.
Or else the vax is screwing with athletes' minds.
Edit: the whole culture of elite gymnastics and the policies of USAG are very screwed up. To have the team chosen subjectively by committee rather than purely based on merit is so wrong. I believe that is the basis for keeping gymnasts quiet about abuse and other mistreatment. How could a young gymnast ever think she'd be able to rock the boat by speaking up, and still have a chance to make the team?
Also, the whole thing about the required competition uniform being a skimpy leotard their butts hang out of, and saying it's for safety reasons, is also total bullshit. All you have to do is look at what the men wear to know a little extra fabric would be fine. The girls have to wear skimpy costumes because decades ago some pervert decided that's how it should be.
Research Maggie Nichols. She was screwed out of an Olympic spot after speaking up about Nassar. (I actually spoke with that sleazebag on the phone once. Grrrr.) Maggie went on to become one of the best collegiate gymnasts ever!
We are huge Gator Gymnastic fans and were not impressed with Rhonda Faehn. She had just taken over at USA Gymnastics for Marta Karolyi when the first complaint (Maggie?) got to her. I wonder what the real story is.
I was telling my husband that gymnasts hated wearing tight Leo’s and getting the wedgies. They cannot touch their Leo until the routine is done. The divers, the beach volleyball, and probably others I don’t know. Germany’s rhythmic gymnastics team did long pant unitards and they were beautiful.
I've read on other sites from sports nerd people that pro athletes' performances are way way down this year: in baseball: more hit by pitch, more injuries and days on injury list, lower batting averages, etc. See these:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210428120042/https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/28/offensive-struggles-low-batting-average-the-opener
https://web.archive.org/web/20210628182110/https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/05/17/corey-seager-injury-hbp-epidemic-the-opener
With the myocarditis in young guys especially, and the fatigue, neurological things, etc, I wouldn't be surprised something (minor or more serious) is going on with these high-performance athletes. Pitchers losing accuracy. Gymnasts probably not landing on the bar precisely. Lots could be going on physically, and psychologically. They may not want to admit their symptoms for many reasons, as well as not relate it to the shot. Can you imagine the psychological trauma from admitting they wrecked their bodies?
It's even worse in areas. Christian Erikson has a heart attack on the football pitch, then this with two cricketers stretchered off within minutes:
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/two-west-indies-players-stretchered-out-in-t20i-against-pakistan-7387350/
I looked up Erikson, and he now has a defibrillator, which they say has to be removed if he wants to play again!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9815303/Christian-Eriksen-not-play-Italy-unless-defibrillator-REMOVED-says-Italian-FA.html