Vance called Biles 'weak' for Tokyo Olympics exit in resurfaced clip
Simone Biles made J.D. Vance eat his words after the Republican Vice Presidential nominee branded the gymnast 'weak' for pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics. During the rescheduled Games, Biles withdrew after suffering from the 'twisties', a form of mental block which can cause gymnasts to lose their spatial awareness in mid-air.
Vance weighed in on the story back in 2021, before he was a senator in Ohio and long before Donald Trump selected him as his running mate for this year's election. His comments have now resurfaced after Biles made a glorious return to the Olympics in Paris, where she led the US to team gold and cemented her place among the greatest athletes of all time.
'I think, obviously, it's understandable that she was going through an incredible amount of pressure,' Vance said at the time. 'What I find so weird about this, and it reflects on the media more than it does on Simone Biles, is that we've tried to turn a very tragic moment — Simone Biles quitting the Olympic team — into this act of heroism.'
'And I think it reflects pretty poorly on our sort of therapeutic society that we try to praise people not for moments of strength, not for moments of heroism, but for their weakest moments.'
Vance added: 'Being an athlete at that level is incredibly tough... a normal response in this moment would be to say: "It’s just a shame that she’s going through this. It’s a shame that she quit".'
'But instead, what our press has done, I think, is turn this into this weird therapeutic moment. "Let’s praise her for doing this." And I think that’s really where the problem herein lies.'
Biles became the United States' most decorated Olympic gymnast of all time with victory on Tuesday but she has since become embroiled in a bitter feud with former teamate MyKayla Skinner.
After the win, Biles couldn't resist aiming a dig at Skinner, who recently sparked controversy by questioning the current American squad's 'work ethic' and dedication to their craft. The eight-time Olympic medalist shared a photo of herself and her teammates - Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey and Suni Lee - holding a USA flag with the caption: 'lack of talent, lazy, Olympic champions'.
And to show her support for Biles, Lee joined her fellow USA star in mocking Skinner by writing in the comments section: 'put a finger down if Simone Biles just ended you' along with a hand emoji.
