Brittney Griner has long been open about her ongoing battle with depression, an ailment that triggered suicidal thoughts when she was younger and last year drove her out of the WNBA bubble because the isolation was too much to handle.
Her own struggles made the U.S. women’s basketball player feel deeply connected to Simone Biles for choosing her own well-being over sporting glory. Considered the best gymnast in the world, Biles pulled out of team competition in the middle of the event and then opted not to defend her 2016 gold medal in the all-around Thursday night at the Tokyo Games.
“It’s a very tough decision to step away. Especially at the Olympic level,” Griner said Thursday. “If you’re not your best self, you’re not going to be the best in your sport or help your team.”
The topic of mental health, growing in frequency in sports over the past year, was everywhere at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, a day after Biles made her decision to not compete in the all-around. Olympians in many sports have spent the past two days coming forward to recount their own battles while offering support to Biles.
“This Olympic Games has not only had a conversation about mental health, but now has movement in the right direction of mental health support,” U.S. swimmer Allison Schmitt said after the Americans won silver in the 4x200 freestyle relay.
On Thursday, Biles expressed appreciation about the response she’s received, posting on Twitter: “the outpouring love & support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before.”
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, a member of the U.S. men’s basketball team, said his success and salary doesn’t make him immune to personal struggles. The discussion sparked by Biles made him reflective Thursday of his own journey.
“When people describe what depression looks like or battling mental health issues, sometimes I think back like, ‘Man, I had a couple of those moments. I just didn’t recognize that’s what was happening,’” he said.
Lillard said he’s careful about his social media consumption, which can distort and intensify already strong emotions.
“We are in an era where everybody has access to us,” Lillard said. “In the past, being a professional athlete or being an Olympian, you were in front of the world but everybody couldn’t just tweet you and everybody couldn’t slander you on Twitter and you become a trending topic and talk about you on Instagram and the Internet just wasn’t such a powerful place.”
At the Olympics, the support for Biles has been overwhelmingly supportive. Social media has been harsher; strangers have accused Biles of being weak, a quitter, and said her decisions in Tokyo have tarnished her legacy.
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This article was written by Jenna Fryer and originally appeared in AP NEWS on July 29, 2021
Photo by Agência Brasil Fotografias
