For nearly a decade Simone Biles seemed not only unbeatable but unshakeable.

She would reel off the most difficult gymnastics maneuvers with a daredevilsa国际传媒檚 spirit and an artistsa国际传媒檚 passion, her smile brighter than the 25 medals she won at the world championships and the five she won while dominating the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was declared the GOAT sa国际传媒� greatest of all time sa国际传媒� and she embraced the role with good humor by wearing leotards cheekily adorned with a glittery goat.

Few people realized that behind the perky hair ribbons and spangles is a young woman who has been bruised by life, first in the foster care system when her addict biological mother couldnsa国际传媒檛 care for her, and later when she was among hundreds of girls and women who were sexually abused by former national team doctor Lawrence Nassar. She thought of committing suicide in the aftermath of the abuse, she recently acknowledged in a Facebook Watch docuseries.

The past recedes but its traumas can hauntingly return in times of stress. Add an extra yearsa国际传媒檚 wait for the Tokyo Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the expectations Biles faced as a potential six-time gold medalist here, and a toxic brew began to percolate.

Biles, 24, long ago took the vital step of seeking help for the anxiety and doubts that recently eroded her confidence on the gym floor. Even so, her nerves resurfaced publicly in Tokyo. During the team competition she didnsa国际传媒檛 know where she was in the air on a vault, a terrifying and potentially debilitating state of disorientation that gymnasts call sa国际传媒渢he twisties.sa国际传媒� Wisely, she withdrew. She got off the merry-go-round before she fell off and became too broken to repair.

With that in mind, it came as no surprise on Wednesday that she opted out of the all-around final, one of the four events in which she won gold in 2016.

sa国际传媒淎fter further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health,sa国际传媒� USA Gymnastics said in a statement. sa国际传媒淪imone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next weeksa国际传媒檚 individual event finals. Jade Carey, who had the ninth-highest score in qualifications, will participate in her place in the all-around.

sa国际传媒淲e wholeheartedly support Simonesa国际传媒檚 decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.sa国际传媒�

While some self-important talk show hosts derided her as cowardly, while critics accused her of abandoning her team sa国际传媒� when in truth she showed trust in her teammates to perform under unimaginably tough circumstances sa国际传媒� other athletes quickly came to her support. Itsa国际传媒檚 worth paying attention to the people who best understand what shesa国际传媒檚 confronting. Many have been there.

sa国际传媒淪he seems like shesa国际传媒檚 doing whatsa国际传媒檚 best for her and itsa国际传媒檚 been awesome to see that shesa国际传媒檚 been able to go against the pressures of society and do whatsa国际传媒檚 best for herself,sa国际传媒� said Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif., who finished 12th in the mensa国际传媒檚 all-around on Wednesday.

Mikulak said Biles was in good spirits when they talked after Tuesdaysa国际传媒檚 competition. sa国际传媒淩eally proud for her for prioritizing mental health and making sure that everyone knows and understands wesa国际传媒檙e not just athletes. Wesa国际传媒檙e human beings, and sometimes itsa国际传媒檚 too much, and when thatsa国际传媒檚 the case, yousa国际传媒檝e got to do whatsa国际传媒檚 best for you,sa国际传媒� he said.

Mikulak, who has been open about his own mental health struggles, said social media can trigger anxiety and expose athletes to outsiderssa国际传媒� demands.

sa国际传媒淥n Twitter [the tone is] sa国际传媒業sa国际传媒檓 really expecting this, I want this from this person. Oh, Simone is going to be the medal factory of the world,sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淲hen you get these conversations, all this hype and everyone starts talking about it, it gets in your head a lot and it starts changing you to what other people want you to be rather than you being able to stand up for yourself and be who you want to be. Theresa国际传媒檚 just a lot of toxicity out there and itsa国际传媒檚 better just to not have that, in general and just focus on yourself a lot more.sa国际传媒�

Like Biles, Chris Evert appeared to be so unshakeable that she was nicknamed sa国际传媒淚ce Maidensa国际传媒� early in her tennis career. Nothing seemed to rattle her as she became the No. 1 player in the world and won 18 Grand Slam singles tournaments. Asked her thoughts about Bilessa国际传媒� withdrawal from the team event, Evert hinted she, too, had dealt with private turmoil.

sa国际传媒淵es, there were times when I wanted to run away and hide sa国际传媒� in the woods sa国际传媒� anywhere,sa国际传媒� she said on Twitter. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 overwhelming, but we didnsa国际传媒檛 have communication or information in those days about mental healthsa国际传媒�sa国际传媒�

Evert praised Biles and tennis player Naomi Osaka, who played in the Olympics after taking a mental health break that included withdrawing from the French Open. sa国际传媒淏ravo,sa国际传媒� Evert said. sa国际传媒淵ou are showing such courage in speaking out for ALL young athletes who experience nerves, stress, expectations and pressure. This is a very profound moment in sports. Thank you.sa国际传媒�

Former U.S. national soccer team star Landon Donovan, who was criticized for taking a three-month mental health break in 2013, also showed support for Biles.

sa国际传媒淩eally proud of @Simonesa国际传媒擝iles for having the courage to make such a difficult decision,sa国际传媒� he wrote on Twitter. sa国际传媒淚 encourage everyone to have compassion for her and try to understand the pressure she was dealing with. Shesa国际传媒檚 a human being first and an athlete second. We can all learn from her courage.sa国际传媒�

If Biles doesnsa国际传媒檛 compete again in Tokyo, she has accomplished enough in gymnastics to keep that sa国际传媒淕OATsa国际传媒� nickname. She has accomplished something else important by bringing athletessa国际传媒� mental health issues to the forefront on an international stage. sa国际传媒淓veryone wants athletes to be indestructible and perfect all the time,sa国际传媒� Mikulak said.

They are not. We shouldnsa国际传媒檛 expect them to be, no matter how perfect they might look.

sa国际传媒擝y Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times