Superstar gymnast Simone Biles is making her highly-anticipated return to competition at the US Classic this weekend after grappling with the gymnastics phenomenon known as “the twisties” that led her to withdraw from several events at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. Biles kept her plans under wraps until recently, but now she’s confident in her ability to execute complex twists. Preliminary scores from a national training camp, albeit not televised, suggest that Biles may be poised to reclaim her status as the record-breaking athlete we know her to be. In fact, she’s even attempting a Yurchenko double-pike vault, a move no other woman has ever successfully completed.
But beyond Biles’ remarkable comeback, her return to the sport serves as a symbol of the demise of the old culture in gymnastics, which often subjected athletes to cruel and unusual treatment. One aspect of this antiquated mindset was the tendency to infantilize gymnasts, pushing them towards unrealistic expectations. At 26 years old, Biles is sometimes referred to as “old” for the sport, as it has long been believed that female gymnasts have short careers that end in their teenage years. However, this narrative fails to delve into the underlying reasons behind this convention.
According to Jessica O’Beirne, host of the renowned GymCastic podcast, the key to excelling in gymnastics lies in having a strong strength-to-weight ratio, with a greater emphasis on power. Gymnastics routines require immense power, and without it, athletes simply cannot perform the required moves. Unfortunately, in the past, the focus was solely on weight, as coaches exerted pressure on athletes to restrict their food intake in order to maintain a lower weight. This often resulted in young girls with prepubescent bodies being hailed as the ideal. Shocking television commentary from old competitions showcases the extreme instances of this obsession with weight, now circulated among gymnastics enthusiasts with a mixture of horror and fascination.
The consequences of adhering to restrictive eating practices are not just physically damaging but also ultimately counterproductive. Athletes who starve themselves to stay thin run the risk of developing the female athlete triad, experiencing irregular or absent menstrual cycles, decreased energy levels, and compromised bone density. This, in turn, can lead to stress fractures and other severe injuries. Jennifer Sey, the national champion in 1986, spoke out about her experience of subsisting on nothing but apples and lettuce, enduring the screams of a coach who adamantly proclaimed, “I don’t coach fat gymnasts!” She even competed on a broken ankle for two years. Mattie Larson, the 2010 world silver medalist, recounted a day when she participated in a competition after consuming only two triangles of a Toblerone. Fatigue overwhelmed her, and she constantly feared passing out during practice. By the age of 15 or 16, her desperation led her to resort to excessive consumption of laxatives. Gymnastics was no longer about the sport itself but rather about the fear of having an accident in her leotard. Larson faced numerous injuries, including a harrowing incident at a national training camp where she seriously injured both her feet and resorted to crawling on her hands and knees.
However, O’Beirne believes that some coaches have learned from these past mistakes. There is now a greater understanding of the importance of proper nutrition and its impact on performance. Achieving physical maturity, including the onset of menstruation, plays a crucial role in enabling athletes to withstand the rigorous demands of multiple Olympic cycles and avoid consistent bone fractures. Biles, despite her height of 4’8″, is unquestionably an adult. Gymnasts in many countries now incorporate weightlifting into their training regimens. Canadian gymnast Ellie Black, who regularly shares videos of her intense workouts on Instagram, credits her longevity in the sport to her weight training. At 27 years old, Black has participated in three Olympics and secured two medals at last year’s world championships. Other gymnasts competing alongside Biles, such as Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey (23 years old) and Jordan Chiles, who won three medals at last year’s world championships (22 years old), defy the typical prepubescent image. These athletes are able to generate greater height and distance during their vaults, thereby earning higher execution scores, thanks to their ability to perform intricate twists that elevate their difficulty scores. In comparison, Chinese women gymnasts, who often have less muscular physiques, have not won a world championship or Olympic medal in vaulting for over a decade.
Despite these positive strides, O’Beirne acknowledges that some officials in the sport still prioritize thinness among gymnasts. She recalls an instance where an official from USA Gymnastics referred to an emerging gymnast as having “the international look,” which has long been code for being skinny. O’Beirne was taken aback and laughed, as it didn’t occur to the official that this phrase could be problematic. Yet, gymnasts now have more exposure to the outside world, granting them a newfound body confidence. O’Beirne notes the presence of body pride among college athletes today, a sentiment rarely seen in the past. Social media has played a role, allowing athletes to embrace and display their hard-earned physiques. While it may cater to the male gaze, this shift contrasts starkly with the body-shaming gymnasts experienced in the past, which could result in their expulsion from the sport.
In conclusion, Biles’ return to competition carries significance beyond her personal comeback. It signals a departure from the harmful practices and beliefs of the past, which subjected gymnasts to emotional and physical abuse in pursuit of an unattainable, and ultimately detrimental, body ideal. The sport is evolving, with a greater emphasis on strength, power, proper nutrition, and an acceptance of the natural changes that come with growing older. As we witness Biles, Carey, Chiles, and other athletes thriving in gymnastics, we witness the transformation of a once-toxic culture into one that prioritizes the holistic well-being of its participants.
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