MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Olympian gymnast Simone Biles said she chose to protect herself and her team when she pulled herself from the women's finals competition after a "stressful" day.
At Wings Gymnastics in East Memphis, owner Kathy Rimone said she doesn't have her young athletes compete, instead she tells them "their number one competition is their own perceived limitations."
Rimone said in gymnastics the mental aspect of the game is 50% of the sport. She said Biles decision to pull out speaks volumes to the mental health of athletes.
“Simone Biles made an incredibly brave decision for herself when all these years she’s been definitely been taking care of her gymnastics abilities. She knew she needed to take a break," Rimone said. “She took a break for herself and I think that’s an incredibly brave decision.”
She said it's also a lesson to her young athletes that participating in the sport should always be fun and the kids should do it for themselves.
During the summer, Wings is doing gymnastic summer camps. Each week they welcome new kids, some with experience, others who are new to the sport.
But what isn't new to many of them is the greatness that Biles presents in the sport.
“I know some people call Simone Biles the GOAT," 6-year-old Iva Kate said, adding, "Yeah, that she’s the best in the world.”
For 8-year-old Grace Priparinen, there was two reasons she wanted to try the gymnastics camps. One was seeing a friend do it.
"Also what wanted me to do it is that I watched Simone Biles do it on TV," she said.
For gymnastics coach Angie Bird, she said she hears about Biles from young athletes in class, asking whether Bird knows the famed-Olympian or if they can be like her too.
“It empowers especially young girls see such a powerful athlete and inspiring athlete," Bird said. "They see that they can be strong and powerful as well.”
While the young athletes admire Biles and are inspired by her, they say Biles only inspired them to have fun in the sport.
"She’s really talented and I think she’s having fun," Grace said. "She is in it to win it and I’m not into it to win it. I’m just here to have fun.”
Bird, who started gymnastics at 3-years-old, now helps kids just as a young as she once was. She said Biles presence as a Black female athlete can inspire a new generation of gymnasts like her.
“When I was growing up I was looking at Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson which they’re amazing athletes but they didn’t look like me," Bird said. "So it’s really cool to see young girls look at Simone Biles and say she actually looks like me and I can be like her.”
