The legend of Simone Biles at the Rio Olympics bagging 5 medals (four golds, and one bronze) will forever remain in history. Back in 2016, she set an American record for most gold medals in women’s gymnastics at a single Games. She was also the first quadruple gold medallist in the same category at a single Games since Romanian Ecaterina Szabo in 1984.

Of course, come Tokyo, the world was looking forward to what Biles would conquer next. But after balking at the vault, she pulled out of all subsequent events, except the balance beam final.

Preparing for the balance beam final

Biles cited mental health issues as her reason for pulling out. She was plagued by the ?twisties? and lost her spatial awareness when up in the air. In order to regain her footing, Biles needed to go back to the basics.

To prevent injury,?Biles?required soft mats and foam pits where she wouldn?t endanger her health if she fell. It seems that she found that security away from the spotlight at a school gym.?

Just a week before stepping into the Olympic arena, Biles? team contacted Juntendo University to borrow their school gym. Biles took to Instagram to show her appreciation. She posted a video of her crashing into the mats after failing to twist from the uneven bars.

She answered fan questions about her condition and?said,??There is a place here in Japan that has been so sweet to open their doors for me to train. So shout out to you ?? you know who you are.?

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Simone Biles at a school gym in Japan

A professor at the university about an hour away from the Olympic arena, Kazuhiro Aoki, bore witness to the impromptu boot camp. They provided a safe space for Biles to practice, away from the eyes of the media.

Biles practiced at that gym for about four days, bringing along her coaches and a medical provider. This was the same gym that the American ladies had used for their pre-Games training camp back in July.?

She returned to competition for the balance beam finals and secured a bronze medal. For the event, she performed a relatively scaled-down routine with an easier double pike dismount. The bronze was her seventh Olympic medal, tying her with Shannon Miller for most Olympic medals by a female American gymnast.

Biles is truly an inspirational story. Putting her mental health as a top priority, she took a break and hasn?t competed since. This influenced many athletes to speak up about their struggles with mental health.

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