This post originally appeared on Forbes on July 30, 2021.
Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast of all time, as well as one of the most dominant athletes in her field. Coming into the Tokyo Olympics, all eyes were focused on her as she was predicted to be the clear winner again. Yet, perhaps the cracks were starting to show. Sports Illustrated published an interview several weeks ago that—with the power of hindsight—gives subtle clues that Biles was on the cusp of walking away.
And walk away she did. Biles shocked the gymnastic world by bowing out of the women's all-around finals. The bravery to make that decision should be applauded. We should also look deeper into how she got there—and what lessons that has for an organization's top performers.
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