We all know Simone Biles as the gymnast who stunned the world with her dominance at the Olympics, but what if we told you her battle with the “twisties” started long before the world knew her name? That’s right—before she became the household name we all recognize, Biles was already facing this challenging mental block. And it wasn’t in Tokyo. It started before her first Olympics, that is Rio Olympics 2016, when Biles was still just a teenager. Need proof for this? Well, we have.
Aimee Boorman, ring a bell? If you’ve been following Simone Biles’ journey, you know her. But for those who’ve only recently come to know Biles after her win at the 2025 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award, let me fill you in. Aimee was the coach who took Simone under her wing when she was just 7 years old back in 2005 and coached her all the way through to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
That’s 11 years of working together. And, of course, she knew Simone inside and out. So, when Boorman speaks about Simone, it carries a lot of weight. Through her new book, The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles, Aimee Boorman provides insights into her remarkable 11-year experience coaching Simone. However, a major revelation of the book exposes the twisties’ impact on Simone Biles during the Tokyo Olympics of 2021.
Before her worldwide fame, Simone struggled with the same issue, which later became a global topic years before its worldwide recognition. In the book, Boorman describes how Simone experienced the twisties beginning in 2016 during her preparation for Rio before her first Olympic appearance. Boorman put it best: “Before Simone introduced the world to the twisties in 2021, she had experienced this proprioception phenomenon in January of 2016.”
Yeah, Simone had already dealt with the scary side of losing body awareness mid-air long before Tokyo. Boorman breaks down just how dangerous it is: “When this happens to a gymnast who is flipping 10-plus feet in the air and they lose body awareness in space and time—not knowing if they’re going to land on their back, feet or head—it’s much more dangerous [than the ‘yips’ in baseball or golf].”
The situation becomes clearer after this explanation. When athletes start doing tik-tak movements it turns out to be more than a casual misstep because they experience a genuine mental barrier which creates fear along with serious danger. Boorman went beyond describing what the twisties were by showing us the evolution of the phenomena while explaining the guidance she gave Simone Biles during this period. But, how it all started, and how she helped guide Simone Biles through it.
Simone Biles shows the world what she’s made of
The world was shocked in 2021 by Simone Biles’ twisties confession, yet her coach Aimee Boorman indicated the problem arose before 2015. Boorman revealed that Biles first experienced the mental block after winning four medals at the 2015 World Championships. Well, there, she secured the gold in all-around events as well as balance beam and floor exercise events and earned a bronze medal for vault.
The pressure was mounting, and just a few months later, Boorman recalls, “Simone couldn’t twist on basically anything.” She explained that Biles “would physically stop herself from twisting during her routines because she was afraid of getting lost in the air.” Rather than forcing a quick fix, Boorman let Simone take the time she needed. With support from her family and therapist, Biles eventually got back on track just in time for the 2016 Olympic trials.
Boorman reflected on that period in her book, writing, “Thankfully the twisties had passed without injury,” and added, “We demonstrated that an elite gymnast can avoid training elements for weeks without losing their skills.” It was a turning point that quietly shaped her path to Rio—and one that many never knew about until now. Even after that, Simone Biles went to the Rio Olympics and won 4 gold medals.
But the peak of Twisties came in the Tokyo Olympics. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Simone Biles walked in as the heavy favorite—the face of Team USA and gymnastics royalty. But what unfolded was something no one saw coming. After a shaky vault in the team final, Biles pulled out of the competition, citing a mental block known as the “twisties.” “My mind and body are simply not in sync,” she later explained.
More than that, she walked away having changed the conversation around mental health in sports forever. But then she came back like she never left. Biles came out swinging at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, looking like the twisties were a thing of the past. She cruised to three golds, adding to her already legendary collection of 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship titles.
At just 28, she’s the undisputed queen of gymnastics—no one has more hardware than her. But here’s the kicker: she’s not ready to hang up her leotard just yet. While most athletes would be thinking about retiring, Simone Biles has her eye on the 2028 Olympics in L.A. She hasn’t slammed the door on another Olympic run, and if anyone can keep defying expectations, it’s her. So, who knows? We might see her shine on the biggest stage once again!
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