Elena Mukhina, the gymnast who was forced to compete despite not feeling ready and became paraplegic

Elena Mukhinawas a Soviet gymnast who carried the pressure of having to be better and surpass the Romanian Nadia Comaneci and although she listened to her own body, her trainers ignored her and condemned her to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

This week Simone Biles experienced a crisis similar to that of Elena Mukhina but luckily his story has been different.

Without even trying, Simon Biles gave us an invaluable lesson in self-care which is even more meritorious and more worthy of recognition than an Olympic medal because life is more than a moment of glory…life is sacred.

The report that was given in Tokyo Olympics They expressed the feelings of many athletes who do not raise their voices for fear of being judged: Simone Biles She didn’t feel safe, she didn’t trust her own mind or her body at that moment.

For this reason and because of the high level of difficulty (and danger) that a discipline like gymnastics requires, the athlete decided that it was best to put herself in the hands of specialists to restore her confidence, because the demons in her head and the pressure would not let her. execute the exercises with the precision and concentration I needed.

simone did what Elena he was not allowed to do, to be the voice of his own body and his mental health.

Elena Mukhina the athlete who became paraplegic because she was forced to compete

Elena Mukhinathe world champion in women’s gymnastics, broke her leg in 1978 and was not given the time to recover.

Her gymnastics coaches pressured doctors to clear her so she could begin training for the Olympic Games 1980 and surpass Comaneci.

Elena who did not feel strong enough and was emotionally broken protested loudly, but her voice was ignored because “she was born for a purpose” and had to participate in the Olympics.

Of course Elena He could not withstand the grueling training regimen and his mental health worsened. She was afraid, she slept little and she didn’t feel safe or ready for the competition.

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Her trainers again dismissed her concerns and forced her to continue her training.

In the Moscow Olympic Gameswhile Elena Mukhina practiced the Thomas Jump (since banned for being so dangerous), the athlete’s weakened leg took its toll.

The gymnast fell on her chin and broke her neck, leaving her paraplegic for the rest of her life. Ella Elena was 20 years old at that time, her life was not the same since then and she, in complete oblivion, died at 46 years old.

Anyone who calls Simone Biles mediocre for withdrawing from the gymnast team final is because he does not know the pressure that exists behind each athlete.

And although many were bothered by the headline that announced: “Simone Biles leaves the gymnastics team final”we are glad that she and her coaches understood that it could have been worse: “Simone Biles becomes paraplegic during a presentation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics”.