It took being at her lowest and most vulnerable to show Simone Biles how strong and resilient she is. It’s been almost three months since Biles was forced to withdraw from multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics after rising anxiety manifested itself in the “twisties,” causing her to lose her sense of where she was in the air. She’s still processing it all – that it happened, the reaction to it – and she shared her thoughts with USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour. After withdrawing from the all-around, vault and floor exercise finals in Tokyo, Biles returned for the balance beam final and won a bronze medal. It wasn’t the result or experience she wanted; she came to the Olympics having not lost an all-around competition in eight years, and was a heavy favorite to win multiple gold medals. But her decision to withdraw sparked wider conversations about mental health, particularly among elite athletes. People who had never before shared their struggles opened up, and many thanked Biles for showing that not only was it OK to prioritize herself and her mental health, sometimes it’s absolutely necessary. Biles wants these kinds of conversations to be normalized – and not only for adults. #SimoneBiles #sports #gymnastics #athletes #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness