In a tweet posted on Tuesday, former First Lady Michelle Obama, who had never been proud of her country until her husband ran for President, expressed her support for U.S. gymnast Simone Biles following her withdrawal from the Tokyo Games due to emotional and mental stress issues.
“Am I good enough? Yes, I am. The mantra I practice daily. @Simone_Biles, we are proud of you and we are rooting for you. Congratulations on the the silver medal, Team @USA!” a gushingly compassionate Michelle O. wrote.
Biles cited the emotional stress of being the “head star” of the sport as her reasoning for bowing out. “Whenever you get in a high-stress situation, you kind of freak out. I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being,” Biles said. Sorry, but that’s not good enough for an Olympic-level athlete. You have years to prepare mentally and physically for high-stress competition — that’s what athletes do. Bowing out during the competition itself is a failure, not a courageous achievement.
The Russian Olympic Committee eventually won gold at the team finals.