Simone Biles gave a scary look at how bad her ’twisties’ became in Tokyo – showing why she had to pull out of Olympic events

• Simone Biles withdrew from 5 Olympic medal events due to mental-health concerns and "the twisties."
• The twisties are a phenomenon dreaded by gymnasts and divers that causes disorientation in the air.
• On Wednesday, Biles reshared a scary video that depicted just how bad her twisties became in Tokyo.
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Mental-health struggles and a case of "the twisties" – a phenomenon dreaded by gymnasts and divers alike that causes disorientation in the air – forced Simone Biles to withdraw from five medal events at the Tokyo Olympics.

And even though she returned to the biggest stage in sports for one last performance at the Tokyo Olympics – earning bronze in the balance beam final in the process – Biles has since consistently stressed that the twisties are no joke.

On Wednesday, the seven-time Olympic medalist reshared a terrifying clip that depicts just how serious the twisties are. In the video shot at the 2002 Junior European championships, French gymnast Émilie Le Pennec attempts a complicated pass – complete with a double-twisting double-back tuck – only to come up short and narrowly avoid hitting the mat head-first.

Instead, she landed flat on her back and bounced to a stop before quickly – and shockingly – rising to her feet.

Twitter user @youwannacranson, who reshared the 19-year-old clip in recent days, wrote that "If Simone Biles' Olympic team finals vault was terrifying, [I don't know] what to call Emilie Le Pennec's full out attempt from 2002 jr euros floor finals."

"This is an obvious case of the twisties, and I guarantee something similar would have happened to Simone had she continued," they added.

Biles agreed. Upon quote tweeting the post, history's most decorated Olympian added that "this happened more times than I would've wanted in practice at the games…"

-Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) August 11, 2021

Biles was smart to swap out her signature double-twisting double-tucked salto backwards dismount - also known as "The Biles" - ahead of the balance beam final. Instead of performing her eponymous skill, Biles opted for a double back pike - a simpler dismount that did not involve any twisting.

Had she tried to push through her planned routine, Biles could have suffered catastrophic consequences. Both she and Le Pennec are lucky to have walked away physically unscathed after experiencing the twisties during competition.