Mental Health Over Medals

“If Kerri Strug can push through the pain, you can too.” It was 1996, the day after Kerri Strug ran down the vault runway and landed on one foot after her coach Bela Karolyi yelled “you can do it” at her from the sidelines. A day after, she was carried off the podium and placed in the hands of Larry Nassar to receive medical care. I can’t remember my exact injury at the time, but the message from my coach was clear: gymnastics involves pain and sacrifice to be the best A few years later, when I couldn’t sleep because of severe caloric restriction (fun side effect of having an eating disorder – sleep deprivation) I would rewatch my tape of the 1996 Olympics over and over again. I watched it so much that I ruined the tape. Although I wasn’t consciously watching it for motivation to continue to restrict and lose weight, I have no doubt that subconsciously this was a factor. My role models as a competitive gymnast were petite girls who literally broke themselves to win. In my quest to lose weight and have a better “gymnastics body”, what was a little pain?

Fast-forward to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, I am now a gymnastics coach and in recovery from my eating disorder. I am also faculty at Pitt Public Health, where I conduct research on media and health. So I know, both personally and professionally, how impactful athletes can be to the millions of young people who see their ups and downs on television (and in this day and age, on social media). While I was devastated for Simone Biles when she had to pull out of the competition for “the twisties”, I was also thrilled that the girls I coach today have as a role model; someone who puts their physical and mental wellbeing first. Simone could have easily told the media that she was out for a physical condition, but her open discussion of mental health and the importance of therapy has done more to reduce stigma than any professionally developed ad campaign ever could. 

In the run-up to the 2024 Olympics, I have continued to be impressed by Simone’s openness about therapy and mental health. She mentioned during the Olympic Trials that she attends therapy “religiously, every Thursday.” I have also been impressed by her and her teammates’ open discussions about taking care of their bodies and fueling their bodies. When Suni Lee won the All-Around at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone mentioned celebrating with a pepperoni pizza, and in a recent social media post Simone Biles showed the team eating pasta together in the Olympic Village. That world-class female gymnasts are sharing openly that they eat (and eat foods often considered “taboo”) sends a positive message to every young gymnast, a message that was non-existent in the 90s. 

 While I will be anxiously watching and hoping the US team wins gold, no matter what, this team has already won in more ways than one. They have shown that you don’t have to break yourself—physically or mentally—to be the best. They have shown that winning medals doesn’t have to come at the expense of having fun. And they have shown that honoring your body with proper fuel and rest is the hallmark of a champion, as opposed to the number on the scale. Unlike my experience in the ’90s, young gymnasts who rewatch the Tokyo or Paris Olympics until their tapes break (or ruin whatever today’s equivalent of a VHS tape is!) will come away with motivation to fuel themselves properly and value their mental and physical health more than the number of new tricks or number of medals.

By Beth Hoffman

About the Author

Beth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at The University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. Her research focuses on the portrayal of health topics on popular television programs and health information (and misinformation) on social media. She also volunteers as a gymnastics coach at Aspinwall Gymnastics Center in Pittsburgh and is a member of the HHRR Board of Directors. A self-described “crazy cat lady”, Beth fosters cats and kittens through Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, and enjoys spending time with her 3 cats, family, and friends.