American Simone Biles is widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time. In the United States, she is the “face” of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. When the games began, she was expected to win five gold medals. But on Tuesday, she pulled out of the team final. She made the choice after having trouble landing her vault in the competition’s first round. She later said her mind was not in the right place to let her safely perform the difficult moves she is known for. In other words, her mind was not letting her body do what it needed to do. Cameras caught her telling her trainers Tuesday during the team final, “I just don’t trust myself.” So, she made the decision to protect her mental health and, she said, to give her teammates a better chance at earning a medal. Biles’ three teammates went on to place second behind the gymnasts representing the Russian Olympic Committee. Biles is not the only Olympian in recent months to talk about the pressure and mental effects of competing at the highest level. Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka decided not to compete at the French Open earlier this summer. She made that choice after French Open organizers were critical of her decision to not speak to the media during the event. She made that decision, she said at the time, to protect her mental heath. This week, Osaka lost in the second round of Olympic competition. She said she felt extreme pressure to win for Japan, where the Olympics are taking place.
Title: Mental Health Gets Spotlight at Olympics
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/B.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Mental Health Gets Spotlight at Olympics' data-article-id='5815'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='8604'>American Simone Biles is widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time. </span> <span data-start-time='8604' data-end-time='15292'>In the United States, she is the “face” of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. </span> <span data-start-time='15292' data-end-time='22396'>When the games began, she was expected to win five gold medals.</span> <span data-start-time='22396' data-end-time='27229'>But on Tuesday, she pulled out of the team final. </span> <span data-start-time='27229' data-end-time='37000'>She made the choice after having trouble landing her vault in the competition’s first round. </span> <span data-start-time='37000' data-end-time='48854'>She later said her mind was not in the right place to let her safely perform the difficult moves she is known for. </span> <span data-start-time='48854' data-end-time='58271'>In other words, her mind was not letting her body do what it needed to do.</span> <span data-start-time='58271' data-end-time='69000'>Cameras caught her telling her trainers Tuesday during the team final, “I just don’t trust myself.”</span> <span data-start-time='69000' data-end-time='82792'>So, she made the decision to protect her mental health and, she said, to give her teammates a better chance at earning a medal. </span> <span data-start-time='82792' data-end-time='94229'>Biles’ three teammates went on to place second behind the gymnasts representing the Russian Olympic Committee.</span> <span data-start-time='94229' data-end-time='106104'>Biles is not the only Olympian in recent months to talk about the pressure and mental effects of competing at the highest level.</span> <span data-start-time='106104' data-end-time='116063'>Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka decided not to compete at the French Open earlier this summer. </span> <span data-start-time='116063' data-end-time='127042'>She made that choice after French Open organizers were critical of her decision to not speak to the media during the event. </span> <span data-start-time='127042' data-end-time='133958'>She made that decision, she said at the time, to protect her mental heath.</span> <span data-start-time='133958' data-end-time='140875'>This week, Osaka lost in the second round of Olympic competition. </span> <span data-start-time='140875' data-end-time='149542'>She said she felt extreme pressure to win for Japan, where the Olympics are taking place.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/B.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17881 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/what_is_a_gymnast.wav'>What is a gymnast?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a person who performs exercises on a flat area or with equipment as part of a sports competition that is judged'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/a_seed_pod_or_other_edible_part_of_a_leguminous_plant_used_as_food.wav'><span>a seed, pod, or other edible part of a leguminous plant, used as food</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/a_person_who_performs_exercises_on_a_flat_area_or_with_equipment_as_part_of_a_sports_competition_that_is_judged.wav'><span>a person who performs exercises on a flat area or with equipment as part of a sports competition that is judged</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/_short_crowbar_used_by_a_burglar_to_force_open_a_window_or_door.wav'><span> short crowbar used by a burglar to force open a window or door</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/a_group_or_set_of_thirteen.wav'><span>a group or set of thirteen</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17882 data-hint-location='27229' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/what_part_of_the_competition_did_simone_biles_have_difficulty_with.wav'>What part of the competition did Simone Biles have difficulty with?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='vault'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/100_meter.wav'><span>100 meter</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/vault.wav'><span>vault</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/parallel_bars.wav'><span>parallel bars</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/skateboarding.wav'><span>skateboarding</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17883 data-hint-location='69000' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/so_she_made_the_decision_to_protect_her_mental_health_and_she_said_to_give_her_teammates_a_better_chance_at_earning_a__blank__.wav'>So, she made the decision to protect her mental health and, she said, to give her teammates a better chance at earning a <span class='blank'>medal</span>. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='medal'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/sandwich.wav'><span>sandwich</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/medal.wav'><span>medal</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/flight.wav'><span>flight</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/flip.wav'><span>flip</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
Sound Name: https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5231/B.wav
Preview
