Simone Biles shares new Olympic training videos, says mind and body ‘not in sync’

TOKYO — Just days after she withdrew from the team and individual all-around finals at the Tokyo Olympics, gymnast Simone Biles continues to struggle during training, she revealed in social media posts Friday.

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Photos: Sunisa Lee wins gold in Olympic gymnastics all-around Sunisa Lee, of United States, reacts as she poses for a picture after winning the gold medal in the artistic gymnastics women's all-around final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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According to USA Today, the 24-year-old, often described as the greatest gymnast of all time, took to her Instagram Stories to share two new training videos that she later deleted.

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.@Simone_Biles shared footage of herself at practice in #Tokyo this morning via Instagram, still struggling to find herself in the air.

The 🐐 also took the time to further communicate the severity of her condition to the world. pic.twitter.com/xULcvS7s4F
— Gymnastics Now (@Gymnastics_Now) July 30, 2021

“For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit,” she captioned a clip that showed her falling back-first onto a mat while practicing an uneven bars dismount Friday. “My mind & body are simply not in sync, as you can see here.”

She added: “I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health.”

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Simone Biles drops from team competition Simone Biles, of the United States, enters the court for the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) (Gregory Bull/AP)

She refers to the phenomenon – a mental block that causes her to lose awareness of her position midair – as “the twisties,” USA Today reported.

“No, this was not happening before I left the USA,” Biles continued in her post. “It randomly started happening after prelims competition the VERY next morning. By that time, NO, an alternate was not allowed to be placed in my position for you ‘know it alls.’”

She went on to explain that she withdrew from the two events because she didn’t want to risk “losing a medal (of any color) for the girls / US” – or put her own health and safety in jeopardy.

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Photos: Jade Carey to replace Simone Biles in Olympic gymnastics individual all-around Jade Carey of United States of America during women's qualification for the Artistic Gymnastics final at the Olympics at Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo, Japan on July 25, 2021. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In addition, Biles answered fans’ questions about “the twisties,” saying that while she’s had them before on vault and floor, she’s never experienced them on all four apparatuses like she is now.

She wrote that they typically last “two or more weeks” and may be “triggered by stress.”

Biles – who won four gold medals, including the all-around title, at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – pulled out of Tuesday’s team competition shortly after the U.S. women completed their first rotation on vault. According to The Associated Press, the gymnast bailed on the vault she had planned to perform, an Amanar, and hopped on the landing.

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US women compete in gymnastics team final Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Biles was seen with her trainer before leaving the floor with the team’s doctor following the routine, according to the AP. She returned to the sidelines to cheer on teammates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum, who went on to win the silver medal.

On Wednesday, USA Gymnastics released a statement saying Biles also would not be competing in Thursday’s all-around competition, opening up a spot for teammate Jade Carey. Lee ended up capturing the gold medal, while Carey finished in eighth place.

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Photos: Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey compete in Olympic gymnastics all-around Sunisa Lee, of the United States, right, embraces teammate Jade Carey after her performance on the uneven bars during the artistic gymnastics women's all-around final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Biles qualified for all four of the individual event finals, which begin Sunday. She has not said whether she will participate.

Simone Biles shares new Olympic training videos, says mind and body ‘not in sync’

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