Simone Biles’ infamous battle with the ‘twisties’ at the COVID-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games was not her first experience with the potentially dangerous mental block, according to a new book from her longtime coach.
The most decorated athlete in the sport’s history, Biles’ Olympic dreams were nearly dashed ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics when she first began to battle the mid-air phenomenon that leaves gymnasts disoriented at precarious moments. As coach Aimee Boorman explained in ‘The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles,’ the issue arose six months before the start of the Olympics.
‘Yep, before Simone introduced the world to the twisties in 2021, she had experienced this proprioception phenomenon in January of 2016,’ Boorman wrote, as quoted by ESPN.
‘When this happens to a gymnast who is flipping ten-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].’
When the ‘twisties’ would strike Biles ‘would physically stop herself from twisting during her routines because she was afraid of getting lost in the air.’
‘Simone would never crash; she would just stop herself before ever attempting a twist,’ Boorman added.
Simone Biles talks with her coach Aimee Boorman during warm ups before the Sr. Women’s 2016 Secret U.S. Classic at the XL Center on June 4, 2016 in Hartford, Connecticut
Simone Biles with the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award attends the Winners Walk during the 2025 Laureus World Sport Awards winners walk at Palacio De Cibeles
Boorman says she resisted the urge to pressure Biles and instead took a patient approach with someone who already had a growing collection of trophies.
‘She was already the back-to-back-to-back world champion,’ she wrote. ‘Simone knew how to twist.’
With the help of family, her therapist, and hands-off Boorman, Biles ultimately fixed the issue to win the first four Olympic golds of her career.
‘Simone needed time, support and reassurance that I believed in her,’ Boorman wrote.
Biles, who had not previously revealed her 2016 battle with the ‘twisties,’ wrote the forward to Boorman’s book.
‘Coach Aimee and I have a special bond,’ Biles wrote. ‘She always did what was best for her athletes personally, even if someone told her it might not work. … Coach Aimee understands that every athlete works, processes instruction and learns differently, and she caters to that.’
Co-written by Boorman and journalist Steve Cooper, ‘The Balance’ was set for release on Tuesday.
With seven Olympic gold medals and over two dozen world championships, Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in the world
Biles appeared to dash hopes that she could make a return to the Olympic stage on home soil when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Games in 2028.
Following a historic year that saw the gymnastic icon cement herself as the greatest of all time with three more gold medals in Paris to add to her Olympic haul, Biles was named Sport’s Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year in January.
However, after being announced as the recipient of SI’s honor, she cast doubt on a potential return.
‘Life and death,’ she told SI when asked what it would have to signify for her to return to the Olympic stage in LA.
‘Because I’ve accomplished so much, there’s almost nothing left to do, rather than to just be snobby and to try again and for what? I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done.’
