Gymnastics-Biles shushes Tokyo critics with three gold medals so far in Paris

PARIS : Simone Biles said on Saturday that the critics who had taken aim at her for withdrawing from the Tokyo Games three years ago over mental health concerns had been silenced by her winning three gold medals in gymnastics so far at the Paris Olympics.

The 27-year-old arrived in the French capital as the world's most decorated gymnast and she has captured gold medals in all three women's events contested so far: the team event, the all-around and the vault. She now owns 10 Olympic medals overall, seven of which are gold.     

"I'm really excited to be competing again. And obviously the negative comments, they're painful," she said after dominating the vault final on Saturday with her signature Biles II vault.

"But I'm still in therapy, working on all that stuff to just make sure my mental health is well. 

"They're really quiet now, so that's strange," she added, referring to her critics. 

Biles has been on what she has described as a "redemption tour" after the Tokyo Olympics, where she was compelled to withdraw from several events suffering from the "twisties," a condition that involves the temporary loss of spatial awareness when completing high-difficulty elements.

While she received criticism over the withdrawal, others praised her for starting a conversation about athletes' mental health and well-being. 

Biles said she had been speaking with her therapist while in Paris, and would take extra sessions if needed.

"The Olympics is such a draining process for the athletes, and it's multiple days of competition, so you definitely have to be on top of your mental as well as your physical (health)," she said. "As long as we're doing that, then we're good."

Biles will compete for two more golds in Paris as she has also qualified