Open letter to a champion

She flew through the air without the greatest of ease

Do you recall the famous vault of gymnast Kerri Strug a quarter century ago?

Her coach had to carry her off with two torn ankle ligaments. The coach who drove her to take that second winning jump. Bela Karolyi and his wife, Martha Karolyi.

They also created eating disorders and subjected the child athletes to constant abuses. And employed a notorious pedophile.

Simone Biles was abused by Larry Nasser. She has been abused by rightwing commenters for dropping out of Olympic competition this week. But she’s received a much stronger support from the majority of the world.

She is no less than the greatest gymnast ever. She now knows she is more than her athleticism or her next performance.

She is a champion for everyone who describes to their doctor what’s wrong with their body and is ignored.

She is a champion for people struggling with mental health issues.

For women who have to deal with people who wish to control women’s bodies and provide nationalistic, ideological or religious excuses to deny women their rights, Simone Biles has the voice of sanity, in championship form.

A gymnast might spend 20 to 30 percent of their entire life practicing and performing. So what are they for the other 70 to 80 percent of their lives? They are people doing people things. So hell yeah, she’s way WAY more than her latest performance.

The sport’s leading promoters, the governing groups of the olympics in many countries around the globe couldn’t care less. That was obvious when Japan decided to go forward with this year’s Olympics in a country largely unvaccinated against Covid. And when the billionaire owners of major league baseball decided to have a 162 game season this year. The show and their profits must go on.

So Simone, you be you, the sum totality of who you are at the core and in multiple peripherals. You don’t have a 2021 Olympic medal but you remain an unparalled winner. For the greater portion of your life ahead may you be free of difficulties and health concerns.

Your heart and courage and considerations are vital to the best of you. You get to own that.

With all due respect.