Shawn Johnson Praises Simone Biles for Bringing Attention to Mental Health in Gymnastics

The retired gymnast commended the Olympian for her openness around emotional well-being.

Shawn Johnson and Simone Biles / Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images and Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Retired gymnast Shawn Johnson knows how pressure-filled the Olympics are for athletes. The 32-year-old earned four medals during the 2008 Beijing summer games, including three silver and one gold, before retiring from her sport at the age of 20 in 2012.

In a new interview with Elle, Johnson praised fellow Olympian Simone Biles for the work she’s done to bring attention to mental health within the sport.

“She started a movement that allowed little girls to feel like they had voices again,” Johnson said of the seven-time Olympic medalist. “She truly will change the lives of every kid who is in the sport from now on, because of what she did.”

Simone Biles / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Biles famously withdrew from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo after experiencing the “twisties,” and took some time away from gymnastics following the games to focus on her mental well-being. After roughly two years off, Biles returned to international competition when she participated in the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships last fall. There, she claimed her sixth global title.

In turn, Biles has become an outspoken advocate for mental health, a role she didn’t necessarily set out to take on. Still, she’s inspiring young women—athletes or not—along the way to prioritize their mental health.

“I hope young women take away that it's O.K. to not be O.K. You can speak up for what you believe, and you can do things alone,” Biles stated in 2021. “It’s O.K. to kind of be shot down. Sometimes, it’s how you get up and pick yourself back up and that women are strong alone. They don’t really need anybody else.”