The Simone Biles Paradox

We are now in the shadows of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. There were some remarkable performances on the field but undoubtedly it was an off-field annoucement that hijacked everyone’s attention. It was the Simone Biles withdrawal statement that may go down in history as one of the top ten (non performance) incidents of Tokyo 2020 or any Olympics.

I spent that week reading countless articles from authors & journalists, tweets from celebrities and the occasional ‘two cents’ from former athletes. The summary of it all was: Simone Biles was brave and courageous.

This purpose of this short piece is not to take anything away from Simone Biles or Naomi Osaka who chose to listen to their inner voice. That requires courage at every level. But was it really bravery? And why aren’t we talking about the luxury of being in a position to make that call?

In any Olympic Games, 80% of athletes are first time participants who would go on to attend only one Games. For them, it is a lifetime dream come true and the only opportunity to dramatically shift the outcome of their lives. Some would argue that it is even the moment that finally grounds into reality their identity. ‘I am an Olympian, I am a Olympic medal winner, etc. For many of them, that will remain their calling card for the rest of their lives.

When we laud Simone Biles as a hero for honouring her inner voice, we aren’t thinking about the 90% of athletes who are under similar pressure if not more, with more to lose, who do not have the luxury to be able to step away from a platform like the Olympics. When an champion steps away, they become heroes. When a normal participant steps away, it does not even make a news cycle. So, are we actually rewarding bravery or rubbing privilege in the face of those who have not yet made it?

I think we should respect her choice and not question it. When Sunisa Lee stepped in to replace Biles, she was under way more pressure than Biles would have been. She was replacing a sure medal winner for the USA. She had to contend with that plus what could have been a media outlash if she lost. Pressure is a part of performance, and as much as we train our athletes physically, we prepare them mentally as well.

Nothing can ever be taken away from Simone Biles that is the paradox. Even when she supposedly lost an opportunity to compete, she had already won more than the winners themselves. That’s the privilege of success that we don’t talk about.