TIME Magazine named champion gymnast Simone Biles as Athlete of the Year. However, the honor comes after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in which Biles elected to sit out of the iconic games due to her ongoing battle with mental health issues.
Considering the fact that Biles did not perform, yet still received the award, was both a tremendous and controversial feat. Simone is praised by many, and is considered an inspiring role model for the youth, after her display of courage and strength in acknowledging her struggle, highlighting the seriousness of mental health, as well as the importance of predicating getting the right help.
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Although to others, Biles decision to pull out of the Olympic Games was extremely ill-advised. People have criticized the 24-year-old star gymnast, and are of the mindset that Biles quit on her team and her country with the move.
However, much of the public has shown an outpour of support for the 4x gold medalist, including fellow gymnast Suni Lee, who was named Sports Illustrated's "Athlete of The Year" herself.
On Biles' impact on the world of sports in bringing awareness to the issue of mental health, Suni Lee said, "What Simone did changed the way we view our well-being, 100%. It showed us that we are more than the sport, that we are human beings who can also have days that are hard. It really humanized us."
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Biles told TIME Magazine that she 'believes everything happens for a reason and purpose', and explained that after everything, she still is proud of the decision she made.
"I was torn because things weren't going the way I wanted," Biles told TIME. "But looking back, I wouldn't change it for anything."
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Before the Tokyo Olympics and any of the events that transpired after the fact, Biles got a tattoo Maya Angelou's famous quote "And still I rise". Explaining to TIME that, "It's a reminder and a tribute to everything I had been through, and that I always come out on top."
