Simone Biles first mentioned about having ‘twisties’ after the Tokyo Olympics. Back then, the world did not have an inkling about what she was talking about. But cut to 2024, several gymnasts have opened up about experiencing ‘twisties’. But how far does this common thread go? And the latest addition to this unfortunate list is US gymnast Jade Carey herself. Well, Carey might have secured her ticket to Paris, scoring 111.350 at the trials, but her experience with the debilitating condition was not a pleasant one. Opening up about the dreaded mental condition, Carey said that it happened to her a couple of years back. While it was definitely a challenging phase for Carey, she followed in the footsteps of Simone Biles to cope with the situation. Jade Carey recently appeared in an exclusive interview with Elle. Elaborating on her experience, Carey mentioned that she got a mental blockage while practicing a couple of tumbling passes. The confusion resulted in Carey being unable to judge her body position while in the air, which could have turned out to be fatal. The Olympian then pointed out that such a feeling was utterly frustrating as the mind could recall the routine, but the body did not sync.Carey then detailed how she was able to overcome her mental blockage. Taking a cue from the legendary Simone Biles’ mantra, “Go all the way down to the basics and then build your way back up”, Carey successfully thwarted the danger. Just like Simone Biles, Carey too, followed in her footsteps and began everything from rock bottom. Emphasizing on going back to the basics, Carey said, “I always handled those situations by taking a step back, going back to the basics, building it back up again, or going into the pit until you feel really 100 percent confident.”The 24-year-old further doubled down on how difficult it was to start from scratch again. She said, “It is frustrating to have to go backwards, but it is part of this sport.” Interestingly, this was the same approach that the US gymnastics queen, Simone Biles, used to get rid of her career’s darkest phase. Simone Biles lost all her self-belief once she came back from Tokyo. Standing in front of the mirror, Biles thought about quitting the game over and over again. In her words, “500,000 times.” However, it was her champion’s mentality that ignited the fire within and helped her step inside the gym once again. But it was not easy. Not even for the legend Simone Biles. Aptly summed up by Laurent Landi, Biles’ condition did not have anything to do with gymnastics. Thus, it was all the more difficult to pinpoint the area of concern. And it was up to Biles to figure it all out. Speaking on her Netflix documentary, Simone Biles: Rising, the 27-year-old stated, “And that’s kind of where we started from, Square one. But not just building the skill, it’s building the confidence and the trust, cause I had to relearn to trust myself again. Cause I was still in the process of understanding why it happened.” Well, surely, her methods worked. Simone Biles made a thumping comeback to clinch her 6th world championship gold in Antwerp. Biles then dominated the US Championships and the trials to cement her place as the no.1 gymnast for Team USA in Paris. And with the stories of Jade Carey and more getting revealed, it becomes evident that Biles not only inspired herself for a comeback. But she also inspired countless other budding and professional gymnasts to have faith in themselves and strive toward success despite all the odds.
