Olympics 2021 -- Competition and Results

[budwom]

Also it’s possible that with family/friends not allowed in Japan she is missing a key part of her support system.

And not to be sour grapes, but what is with the Russian Olympic Committee? I get not punishing the athletes for the actions of their government, but why allow them to participate in team aggregate/relay events? There is seemingly no punishment for running a large scale doing/cheating operations?

IOC is terrified of Vlad the Poisoner...seriously, their "punishment" of pervasive Russian cheating is just a joke. We'll shut off your natural gas and poison your grandma with nerve gas.

[LasVegas]

My issue was the statement she made after.

“We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day we’re human, too,” Biles said. “So, we have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

What the world wants us to do? Please. Don’t push blame on others. You are having mental issues that look like the yips and you let your team down. An appropriate response would of been to say you are unfit to compete and apologize for letting your team down. That’s it. Don’t push blame on others.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

My issue was the statement she made after.

“We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day we’re human, too,” Biles said. “So, we have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

What the world wants us to do? Please. Don’t push blame on others. You are having mental issues that look like the yips and you let your team down. An appropriate response would of been to say you are unfit to compete and apologize for letting your team down. That’s it. Don’t push blame on others.

Harsh take. For what it's worth she withdrew from some individual competitions today as well. Agree to disagree, I suppose.

[LasVegas]

Harsh take. For what it's worth she withdrew from some individual competitions today as well. Agree to disagree, I suppose.

Yeah and that’s probably good for the image of it all. Mental health is serious and if she can’t compete, no big deal. Just drop out like she did. The quote in my previous post is just a terrible way for her to think about it and I believe it’s an insight to what’s going on in her mind.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yeah and that’s probably good for the image of it all. Mental health is serious and if she can’t compete, no big deal. Just drop out like she did. The quote in my previous post is just a terrible way for her to think about it and I believe it’s an insight to what’s going on in her mind.

Yes, clearly this week is a carefully crafted image stunt.

I was wrong. We don't disagree. We wildly disagree.

[Bluedog]

Harsh take. For what it's worth she withdrew from some individual competitions today as well. Agree to disagree, I suppose.

I assume her teammate that would have qualified based on her score (but wasn't allowed because of the two athletes per country rule) will NOT be able to compete? Anybody know?

[dudog84]

In actual Competition and Results, Kara's 3X3 team about to take on the Ruskis for the gold.

[Tooold]

I assume her teammate that would have qualified based on her score (but wasn't allowed because of the two athletes per country rule) will NOT be able to compete? Anybody know?

I read that Jade Carey will now be able to participate in the All-around. She had finished 9th, but couldn’t compete because of the 2 athletes/country rule. So that is good at least. I have not found anything yet about the athletes that could have made the individual apparatus finals….presumably some US gymnasts would have qualified for those if Simone had not.

[Tooold]

And not to be sour grapes, but what is with the Russian Olympic Committee? I get not punishing the athletes for the actions of their government, but why allow them to participate in team aggregate/relay events? There is seemingly no punishment for running a large scale doing/cheating operations?

I agree completely. How is it punishment when you allow the exact same people to compete as teams, but just with a slightly different name? If they change the name from “Russia” to the “Russian Olympic Committee” but everything else is the same, where is the punishment? I think that they could have allowed those athletes to participate as individuals, but not as teams, just as you suggest. I am not sure how they would handle that for the pure team events (volleyball, basketball, etc.)

[LasVegas]

Yes, clearly this week is a carefully crafted image stunt.

I was wrong. We don't disagree. We wildly disagree.

Not a stunt at all. Mental health is a serious issue in this country and around the world. There is a ton of information out there on the subject and I almost became a Psych NP at one point in my career. But….any PR person would tell you it’s a tough look to not compete in the team event and then go on to win Gold in the individual stuff.

[dudog84]

Kara's 3X3 team wins gold! Big congrats!

[Tooold]

I read that Jade Carey will now be able to participate in the All-around. She had finished 9th, but couldn’t compete because of the 2 athletes/country rule. So that is good at least. I have not found anything yet about the athletes that could have made the individual apparatus finals….presumably some US gymnasts would have qualified for those if Simone had not.

To correct my post above…
Jade Carey will now compete in the All-Around, filling the spot vacated by Simone.
It is too early to know what will happen in the individual apparatus finals, since they are next week and Simone has not yet announced what she will do. If she pulls out of that competition, presumably other US athletes will fill those spots if they finished in the top ten in qualifying.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Kara's 3X3 team wins gold! Big congrats!

Today's games vs France and Russia were the only ones I watched live. Very happy I didn't jynx us.

[DukeTrinity11]

Her answers in the post event press conference were cringeworthy and didn't reinforce the idea that the primary reason she dropped out of the Team Event is because she got yips and feared for her safety.

Simone Biles: ‘I feel like I’m also not having as much fun - and this Olympic Games I wanted it to be for myself and it felt like I was still doing for other people - and that hurts my heart that doing what I love has been taken away from me.’

I can sympathize with someone having mental issues and walking away from a sport. Biles was sexually abused by that monster Larry Nassar too so what she's accomplished up till now is so inspirational.

That being said, she quit on her team today, lets not sugarcoat things. Jalen Johnson quit on Duke too in the middle of the season.

What's this about "not having as much fun" or doing things "just for other people"? Uh Simone, you're representing your nation on the biggest stage with a group of teammates that are relying on you. She could've chosen not to go to Tokyo or even inform the program a day or two before the event that she no longer wanted to participate. She owes her teammates a big apology.

We can't embrace and extoll this sort of move guys. What sort of message are we sending to our young men and women? When the going gets tough, just quit on your teammates and program that you made a commitment to? What happened to personal accountability?

Imagine a surgeon starting a surgery and then stopping and saying "he couldn't handle the pressure anymore", "didn't feel like he loved what he was doing and felt like he was forced to pursue this career" and walked away from the operating room.

We would've massacred LeBron, Jordan or Brady if they did something like this after having a bad start in a big Finals game or Super Bowl.

Simone never shied away from all the endorsement deals, Uber Eats commercials, interviews, wearing the GOAT leotard, etc.

"For whom much has been given much is expected".

Next Play. Go Team USA.

[pfrduke]

Imagine a surgeon starting a surgery and then stopping and saying "he couldn't handle the pressure anymore", "didn't feel like he loved what he was doing and felt like he was forced to pursue this career" and walked away from the operating room.

If my surgeon decided in the operating room that his or her head wasn’t in it, I’d much rather they stop and sew me up than plunge forward with the operation. YMMV

[OldPhiKap]

Simone Biles is 24 years old. She has won a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals.

Sorry she is not good enough for some people. I’m sure those folks accomplished much more by that age, and could mentally handle it all copaceticly.

Must be nice.

[PackMan97]

If my surgeon decided in the operating room that his or her head wasn’t in it, I’d much rather they stop and sew me up than plunge forward with the operation. YMMV

Although, this was more like a surgeon having botched one surgery that day deciding they are done for the day and are going to let other surgeons handle the rest of their case load. She didn't quit in the middle of her vault. She planned on doing a really hard vault, changed her mind to do only a hard vault and in mid air changed that to a much easier vault and barely landed that.

Gymnastics at the level Biles performs at is risky. What happens if on a dismount from the uneven bars she botches a triple double (3 twists, 2 flips) dismount? Serious injury or death could be a result.

[sagegrouse]

Her answers in the post event press conference were cringeworthy and didn't reinforce the idea that the primary reason she dropped out of the Team Event is because she got yips and feared for her safety.

Simone Biles: ‘I feel like I’m also not having as much fun - and this Olympic Games I wanted it to be for myself and it felt like I was still doing for other people - and that hurts my heart that doing what I love has been taken away from me.’

I can sympathize with someone having mental issues and walking away from a sport. Biles was sexually abused by that monster Larry Nassar too so what she's accomplished up till now is so inspirational.

That being said, she quit on her team today, lets not sugarcoat things. Jalen Johnson quit on Duke too in the middle of the season.

What's this about "not having as much fun" or doing things "just for other people"? Uh Simone, you're representing your nation on the biggest stage with a group of teammates that are relying on you. She could've chosen not to go to Tokyo or even inform the program a day or two before the event that she no longer wanted to participate. She owes her teammates a big apology.

We can't embrace and extoll this sort of move guys. What sort of message are we sending to our young men and women? When the going gets tough, just quit on your teammates and program that you made a commitment to? What happened to personal accountability?

Imagine a surgeon starting a surgery and then stopping and saying "he couldn't handle the pressure anymore", "didn't feel like he loved what he was doing and felt like he was forced to pursue this career" and walked away from the operating room.

We would've massacred LeBron, Jordan or Brady if they did something like this after having a bad start in a big Finals game or Super Bowl.

Simone never shied away from all the endorsement deals, Uber Eats commercials, interviews, wearing the GOAT leotard, etc.

"For whom much has been given much is expected".

Next Play. Go Team USA.

With the flick of my magic wand, I hereby give you an ounce of empathy and two ounces of human kindness.

[PackMan97]

We would've massacred LeBron, Jordan or Brady if they did something like this after having a bad start in a big Finals game or Super Bowl.

If those guys mess up, they lose a game. What they are doing is not dangerous. "Having a bad day" won't result in serious injury or death. Sure, there are freak accidents, but in general they don't play a dangerous sport (ok, football is dangerous, but not because you make a routine mistake like a bad throw)

If Biles makes a mistake on a vault, the beam, the uneven bars, even the floor can result in serious injury. Half of performing at this level is believing you can perform at this level.

If LeBron at the end of the game said to the coach, "I just don't have it today. I'm not taking the game winning shot" all he loses is the game and some respect...and yes it does happen.
https://www.espn.com/espn/commentary...lasting-stigma

[DukeTrinity11]

Simone Biles is 24 years old. She has won a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals.

Sorry she is not good enough for some people. I’m sure those folks accomplished much more by that age, and could mentally handle it all copaceticly.

Must be nice.

We can recognize her accomplishments up till this time and acknowledge her as being an all time Olympian but also criticize her for this particular instance.

Its not about being good enough; if she performed terribly but gave it her all that would've been more than enough for me.

Its mostly the optics of her comments in that press conference that's bothersome. They come as being self-centered without acknowledgment of the sacrifices her teammates who've worked their butts off their whole lives to represent their country on the biggest stage meant.

If its truly the Yips, she should've mentioned that and spoken more about how her mental state then could've potentially seriously injured her. That would resonate a lot better since the same risk doesn't exist in sports if you just play terribly in a game.

I just think she and her PR team could've handled it a lot better. That quote was cringeworthy.