76 Time December 27, 2021/January 3, 2022
2021 ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
‘It showed us that weare more than the sport.’
—SUNISA LEE, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTdid changed the way we view our well-being,
100%. It showed us that we are more than the
sport, that we are human beings who also can have
days that are hard. It really humanized us.”
An athlete’s clout is increasingly measured in
much more than wins and losses. If 2020 show-
cased the power of athletes as activists after the
murder of George Floyd, this year demonstrated
how athletes are uniquely positioned to propel
mental health to the forefront of a broader cultural
conversation. While a few sports stars have opened
up about mental health— Michael Phelps, for in-
stance, has been candid about his post-Olympic
depression—in 2021, the discussion became more
wide- reaching and sustained. After withdrawing
from the French Open in May to prioritize her
well-being, citing anxiety, Naomi Osaka wrote in
a TIME cover essay, “It’s O.K. not to be O.K.” Biles,
by dint of her status at one of the world’s most
watched events, raised the volume. “I do believe
everything happens for a reason, and there was a
purpose,” she tells TIME in an interview nearly
four months later. “Not only did I get to use my
voice, but it was validated as well.”
While supporters lauded Biles, critics lam-
basted her for “quitting.” But what Biles did tran-
scended the chatter: she fought the stigma that
has long silenced athletes, and shrugged off the
nay sayers who belittled her decision. “If I were
going to quit, I had other opportunities to quit,”
she says. “There is so much I’ve gone through in
this sport, and I should have quit over all that—not
at the Olympics. It makes no sense.”
A month after the Games, Biles put her vulnera-
bility on display once again. Along with three other
of the hundreds of other athletes who had been
sexually abused by former team doctor Larry Nas-
sar, Biles gave emotional testimony before the Sen-
ate about the failures of institutions like the FBI,
USA Gymnastics (USAG) and the U.S. Olympic
and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to stop him.
Colin Kaepernick, no stranger to criticism for
taking a stand, praises Biles’ “grace, eloquence and
courage.” “Simone Biles has used her remarkable
position as the world’s greatest gymnast ever to in-
spire a long overdue global conversation on mental
health,” he tells TIME. “Her influence extends far
beyond the realm of sports and shows us that an-
other world—a better world—is possible when we
speak our truths with integrity and authenticity.”
At a time when anxiety and depression rates
are skyrocketing—the CDC reports a 50% rise
in suicide attempts by teenage girls during the
pandemic—and many people are struggling withwhat they owe themselves vs. what others de-
mand of them, Biles made clear the importance
of prioritizing oneself and refusing to succumb to
external expectations. With the eyes of the world
upon her, she took the extraordinary step of say-
ing, That’s enough. I’m enough.Biles thought she was, as she puts it, “good to
go” before the Games. In retrospect, she acknowl-
edges that she was shouldering a heavy load as she
trained. She was the face of Team USA, and fans
around the globe were anticipating watching her
gravity- defying skills. Gradually, she began to feel
the Olympics were less about her fulfillment and
more about theirs.