'We're human, too': Simone Biles highlights importance of mental ...

Until it no longer was.In making the stunning decision to withdraw from the team final competition Tuesday, Biles acknowledged the tremendous pressure she had been facing as the "head star of the Olympics" and said she needed to focus on her mental health."We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day we're human, too," Biles said, according to The Associated Press. "We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do."Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, said she was not in the right state of mind to continue the competition."Physically, I feel good," she told Hoda Kotb on NBC's "TODAY" show after she withdrew. Magavi, a psychiatrist who has frequently worked with student-athletes and professional athletes, said the societal expectations from fans, the media and others can make athletes feel as though "every single step that they take will be significantly scrutinized, and this kind of pressure is so severe" that they can have trouble even focusing on their day-to-day activities.Magavi said athletes like Biles, "who have such stature" and are "essentially symbolizing and representing a country," can have so much anticipatory anxiety and face such enormous pressure to be perfect and never falter that "in this way they lose that passion for the game that was the first reason they joined the game in the first place."Magavi said she commends Biles for prioritizing her mental health needs over "societal expectations.""It really does take courage and emotional strength," she said.Biles got an outpouring of support after she withdrew.Former Team USA gymnast Aly Raisman told "TODAY" that it was important to "think about how much pressure has been on her, and there's only so much that someone can take.""She's human, and I think sometimes people forget that, and Simone, just like everyone else, is doing the best that she can," she said."I also am just thinking about the mental impact that this has to have on Simone," Raisman continued.