Isolation and the absence of family and friends have taken a toll on athletes¡¯ mental health at the Tokyo Olympics, with some struggling to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic while carrying their country¡¯s hopes on the global sports stage.
After her stunning exit from the women¡¯s gymnastics team event on Tuesday, Simone Biles said she felt she had been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. That burden seems to have been exacerbated by a year a grief, loss and restrictions tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
¡°Usually you hang out in the village, all that stuff,¡± Biles said. ¡°It does suck when you feel the weight of the world. There are no outlets with the amount of training that we do.¡±
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