Simone Biles named Time’s 2021 Athlete of the Year

PTI, Dec 14, 2021, 11:28 AM IST

New York: Simone Biles was named Time’s 2021 Athlete of the Year, the magazine announced.

The world’s most decorated gymnast was hailed for putting her mental health first when she withdrew from four event finals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Biles, a four-time Olympic medalist, later revealed that she suffered from what gymnasts called ”the twisties – when you lose the sense of space and dimension in the air. Despite the setback, the 24-year-old managed to earn a team all-around silver and a bronze in balance beam at the Tokyo Games.

A month after the Tokyo Olympics, Biles gave an emotional testimony at a US senate hearing into former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse scandal. Biles along with hundreds of athletes accused the FBI, USA Gymnastics, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee of failing to stop the abuse.