(NEW YORK) — As Olympic gymnastics came to a close in Paris, ABC News’ Good Morning America caught up with 11-time Olympic medalist and Team USA star Simone Biles, who has become the face of conversations on mental health.
For Biles, maintaining a strong routine outside the gym to focus on her emotional and psychological well-being was imperative for executing the best possible routines at the Paris Games.
“Staying on my weekly therapy sessions and even whenever I was here, I was scheduling appointments with my therapist that could work, whether it was early in the morning for me or early in the morning for her,” she said, speaking about how she’s balanced everything at the Games. “Staying on top of that meant the world to me, but also it helped me with my performances.”
Biles’ repeated emphasis on speaking up about the importance of mental heath has resonated with other athletes.
“I think it’s OK to not be OK. And I think I showed a very vulnerable side that most people don’t see, because most of the time, whenever I’m out there, they’re seeing me win gold medals and all this stuff that’s not relatable,” she said. “So, whenever I really break it down and I am very authentic to them, then they can feel like they can relate, and it’s on a personal level, and then they believe that they can get the help that they deserve.”
Biles added four more medals to her already illustrious career this summer, with three gold medals and one silver.
But it wasn’t just Biles’ therapy sessions that helped her: The entire team had access to a fully accredited furry companion named Beacon, who made the trip to help keep all five women calm throughout the competition.
The 4-year-old golden retriever is the organization’s first therapy dog, according to ESPN, and spent time comforting coaches and athletes alike during the Games.
Between the therapy sessions, Beacon’s support and impressive performances from individual events to the team final, the U.S. women will leave Paris with eight medals total.
They won the team gold medal; Biles won two additional gold individual medals in all-around and vault, plus silver in floor; Sunisa Lee won bronze in both all-around and uneven bars; Jade Carey won bronze in vault; and Chiles earned bronze for floor.
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