usa olympics

[Deleted User 863]

US kinda looking suspect across a lot of sports

women’s soccer, men’s b-ball, women’s gymnastics, women’s swimming

i’m sure the total count will be just fine, but it sure seems like the US is seeing a down year, relatively speaking

Simone Biles has been off (by her standards). Still easily the best in the world, but seeing her make some big mistakes was very unusual.

I still expect Mens BBall to win gold, but what an uninspiring team.

[sdoyel]

Biles injured.

[Deleted User 863]

Biles injured.

It's not a physical injury. It's a mental injury apparently is what they are saying.

Pure speculation, and not trying to be insensitive at all, but she seemed fine until she started doing crappy in her events (especially by her standards). I hope i am wrong, and i frequently am, but this sort of feels like "i am going to lose so i don't want to keep going" kind of thing.

Hope she is okay. This was likely her last olympics it sounded like. But she has been visibly off the entire time. Falling off beem. Not great on vault. Ugly end to an incredible career.

[jhawks99]

"I don't know anything but I'm going to put out my total booollsheet theory anyway."

[Deleted User 863]

"I don't know anything but I'm going to put out my total booollsheet theory anyway."

Basically.

[pdub]

Put me in the camp that "mental injuries" aren't as good excuses as physical ones when it comes to athletics.

[TDub]

Hope shes ok....but she did let her team down, i feel bad for teammates too.

[Deleted User 863]

Put me in the camp that "mental injuries" aren't as good excuses as physical ones when it comes to athletics.

Like i said earlier, i am not judging her negatively, but she was fine until she fucked her vault up....then apparently walked off the floor where the teams sit into the back....then came back in the team warmups with a mental injury.

She basically has said prior to the games she didn't initially want to participate, but decided she wanted to do it for the younger generations.

Losing when you're not used to losing is rough for some people. As physically strong as athletes are, they are still people with feelings and emotions and real lives going on away from sports.

She's the GOAT and this doesn't change that at all.

[Deleted User 863]

Also, they're now saying she may still compete in individual events...so maybe she isn't quite done yet! That'd be awesome. She's so fun to watch.

[sdoyel]

I'll probably take heat for this, but it's just another way of saying "I quit". Look, I get the mental aspects of this. I cannot imagine the pressure she is feeling, but IMO that's not the way to go in a TEAM COMPETITION. She should've finished to not let her teammates down. If she had opted to say/do this in individual events, fine. No issues...

[Deleted User 863]

I'll probably take heat for this, but it's just another way of saying "I quit". Look, I get the mental aspects of this. I cannot imagine the pressure she is feeling, but IMO that's not the way to go in a TEAM COMPETITION. She should've finished to not let her teammates down. If she had opted to say/do this in individual events, fine. No issues...

[TDub]

You shouldnt take heat for that....thats a fair statement. More than anything it lets her teammates down, most of whom have dedicated most of their lifes for this moment.

[Deleted User 89]

would staying in the group competition and performing badly be ok with everyone? especially if there are alternates that could have performed better?

[Deleted User 863]

would staying in the group competition and performing badly be ok with everyone? especially if there are alternates that could have performed better?

Well she didn't tag the alternate in until she had done badly and pretty much assured her team would lose to russia. Not to mention doing it as the bars were already underway....it wasn't a move she made for the team. It was move she made for herself it sounded like.

[TDub]

Given the current information it seems like something you should tough out for your team and your country to give them the best shot at winning. It seems like a bail out.

If and when more information becomes available I reserve the right to reconsider my position.

[jfish26]

I feel like two things can be true at once: (1) she failed to perform because of a legitimate mental health issue, and (2) her job was to perform and she did not do her job.

[Deleted User 863]

I am sympathetic towards anyone with mental health issues.

I am also skeptical of an athlete who suddenly has mental health issues because they aren't performing as well as they want to.

That's not directed solely at Biles. It's too early to make any final judgment on this situation.

I love LeBron, and not really mental health, but it's similar to how LeBron has the reputation as a great leader, but he also acts like a whiney bitch sometimes when he doesn't win (walking off the court, etc).

The greatest leaders continue to be great leaders in victory and defeat. It's easy to win and be classy. It is very hard to take an L gracefully...and a lot modern athletes are prima-donnas.

[CrimsonNBlue]

I don't think it is really a sport where you can just take a couple of plays off and be good. Some of the posts here come off as pretty entitled. Biles performed well at the qualifiers.

Suni Lee has star potential, so maybe the silver lining is this opens up the door for her.

[CrimsonNBlue]

To take it a different route, I am sure there is an article out there explaining, but my initial reaction is that Russia should be prohibited from winning the team competition.

[Deleted User 863]

I don't think it is really a sport where you can just take a couple of plays off and be good. Some of the posts here come off as pretty entitled. Biles performed well at the qualifiers.

She hasn't performed anywhere near her standards since getting to Tokyo.

I watched her fall of the beem and then laugh about it a few days ago. I think she expected to come here and coast to more golds. When she started doing poorly (again, by her standards) the stress began going thru the roof for her it seems like.

Also remember some of her routines are so difficult and nobody else can do those things, that even when she does relatively poorly, the difficulty portion score makes it hard for others to beat even if they have a flawless routine on whichever event it is....so just because she was top qualifier doesn't mean she did "well" by her personal standards.


Again, i have tried to put a disclaimer in each post that i am not trying to be insensitive of mental health. Totally get that aspect of sports and pressure.

Her comments make me think she sort of was on the fence about even participating this go round. At that level it's awfully hard to only go 95% (both mentally and physically).