Goodness, not everything is a trauma or about trauma, and this sort of speculation on the subject is infantilizing when clearly she’s put in that work to compete in the .01% of her sport.
I work with elite and pro athletes across multiple sports. They are a different breed. Not competing isn’t just about reputation. It’s a business, especially for someone like Gabby. Money, sponsorships, and obligations are on the line. You can tout “mental health” all day long but that’s not the reality of elite sports or the elite mindset. Ever tried to be the best at what you do while thinking about your dead dad or abuse? It doesn’t work. That is what’s dangerous in a sport like gymnastics, and the focus on it is likely screwing a lot of these gymnasts up.
If every gymnast took a break when they had an intrusive thought about hurting themselves on a skill, the sport wouldn’t exist. I can’t imagine the choice to for Gabby to pull out was flippant. And if it was, the consequences likely go beyond not being in Paris. Every athlete should have the right to pull out when they want and feel safe enough to do so within their support circle. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice, that aren’t consequences, or that it’s a mental health issue.
Frankly, Simone took a physiological issue and ran to the bank with the mental health narrative the media created. That was marketing, not advocacy.
