Gymnast Claudia Fragapane knows firsthand how dangerous it is to perform when you’re not mentally prepared.
That’s why the former British Olympian is singing the praises of Simone Biles, the U.S. champion who announced she’s withdrawing from the all-around competition at the Tokyo Games this week to focus on her mental well-being. USA Gymnastics said Biles will be evaluated before deciding if she will participate in next week’s individual events.
The decision comes a day after Biles removed herself from the team final following one rotation on the vault, in which she exhibited an uncharacteristically shaky performance.
Fragapane says Biles, who she has competed against, risked injury or worse had she stayed the course. Here is part of her conversation with As It Happens guest host Ginella Massa.
How difficult is it to hear an athlete at that level say “I’m out?” What does it take to get to that point?
Being an athlete myself, you have to take on so much. And there’s a lot of stress … behind [the] scenes about being a gymnast. And she’s got way more pressure than what all of us have put together, because a lot of people expect her to get gold medals, to be fine all the time, and for it to be easy. But it just proves that she is human, and that she does get really nervous, and it’s really hard for her at times.
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Let me take you to that moment where … she did that vault where she kind of wobbled on the landing. Can you walk us through what you saw when you watched that?
I just felt like she got kind of lost in the air. I didn’t think she was as comfortable going in as what she normally is, as confident and as at ease … and the pressure just got to her.
She could have hurt herself. And that’s really, really scary.
If she can’t do this Olympics, then it’s going to be really, really upsetting. But she just has to put her mental health first.– Claudia Fragapane, gymnast
She later said she was having a bit of “the twisties.” And I’d love for you to explain a little bit what that means and just how dangerous it can be.
The twisties is when … you sometimes get a bit of blockage when it comes to twisting. You get confused.
It’s so dangerous, because if you pull out halfway through and you get lost, you could be in any direction, and you don’t know.
With us gymnasts, we know exactly where we’re going, where we’re about to land. We’re very good at spotting everything. And obviously Simone is even better at all of that. So for her to stop halfway through, she could have been at a totally different angle.
And it messed everything up, including — obviously, it was hard for her mental health as well. And I just hope she’s OK after that, because it takes a lot on the mind and body.
I think what you’re talking about is kind of that muscle memory, right? Like doing a move without really thinking about it. And then suddenly you’re really thinking about it, and you’ve completely psyched yourself out.
Yeah.
How hard is it to come back from that?
Some people don’t come back from it. This is the scary thing about it.
So I just hope she does pull through. And if she can’t do this Olympics, then it’s going to be really, really upsetting. But she just has to put her mental health first.
Claudia Fragapane, pictured here at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Montreal in 2017, says she relates to Biles’ experience, and supports her decision to withdraw. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
You’ve had some pretty dramatic experiences with this yourself. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
I was going for one of my Olympic trials [and] I was feeling very stressed and I just wanted to do really well. All I want to do is get into the Olympic team. And having obviously that year off, like everyone else, struggled a little bit because of COVID.
When I got onto the floor, I just felt really tired and drained. My … personal coaches had been amazing. They kept asking me if I was OK. And I just said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
I was going into my last tumble and it was quite slow [on] the entry. So I said to myself, “I’ll just do a single somersault.” But then when I was halfway through the single somersault, I automatically went into gymnast mode and went into my competition mode, and basically was like, it’s all or nothing. And I randomly went for another somersault, which was crazy.
I landed on my head and neck, and I passed out on the floor for a few seconds. And then next thing I know, I’m on a stretcher to be rushed to the hospital.
I wasn’t allowed to, like, move. So I was left on my back from 3 p.m. till 12 a.m., because I could have been paralyzed. So that was really scary. Luckily, I just got a really bad concussion.
I went into my last trial. The week before, I started getting really dizzy before my tumbles. And I couldn’t push anymore because it was getting really dangerous. And that’s when I said to myself, “OK, I’ll stop.”
But even a little bit beforehand, I was still pushing, and it can be really dangerous…. So for Simone to realize that straightaway and just say, “Look, hang on, I’m just going to stop. I’d rather put my mental health first instead of a gold medal,” I really give my hat off to her. She’s just such an inspiration.
Biles, flanked by her teammates, pulls her silver medal over her head on Tuesday at the Tokyo Games. Biles withdrew from the competition following one rotation, but her American teammates held on for silver. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters)
How significant is it to hear someone like Simone Biles — who, you know, is described as the GOAT, greatest of all time, has all of these Olympic achievements, there’s nothing she can’t do — and for her to step back and say, “No, I have to prioritize my mental health?”
You’ve got a lot of athletes … and gymnasts that will say, “No, I’m just going to go for it.” But for her, she’s not a selfish person.
In her interview, she said these girls that she trained with have worked so hard, [she doesn’t] want to cost them a medal. And for her just to step aside and not push herself, and just let the team carry it, is amazing.
And yet, at the same time, there are people who are critical. You know, [British pundit] Piers Morgan accusing her of walking out on her teammates and saying: Are mental health issues going to be “the go-to excuse for any poor performance?” What do you make of the critics?
Those people that are writing all of [that] stuff, and any horrible people writing stuff on social media, to be honest, they haven’t achieved any major competition, any anything major in their life.
All they do is they criticize, and they sit behind that computer posting horrible things. And I think people like that are just jealous. They want a reaction from other people.
And I think, if I’m going to give advice for Simone, I’d say ignore these comments … and just to keep living your life, because you only live one life and you should just be as happy as you can.
Written by Sheena Goodyear, with files from The Associated Press. Interview produced by Chloe Shantz-Hilkes. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
