Both Simone Biles and LSU’s Konnor McClain found unwavering support and guidance from their coaches during their potentially career-ending gymnastics scare. Simone Biles experienced the twisties in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Amid her recovery journey and beyond, she has been vocal about her coach Laurent Landi helping her overcome it.
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For Konnor McClain, while her transition to collegiate gymnastics at LSU has been nothing short of remarkable, she had a rocky way to the top marred by a growth spurt. Her LSU collegiate coach Jay Clark has been a rock by her side through these times. These mentors played a pivotal role in preserving their hopes for the Paris Olympics 2024, turning their struggles into stories of success.
In an interview with NBC after LSU’s NCAA win, Konnor McClain spoke about her struggles with the full-out dismount off the uneven bars back routine that had been troubling her since an unexpected growth spurt. “I lost it and I just could not get it back,” McClain told NBC. “I got really scared of it. Once I came to school Jay (coach) was like, ‘We’re learning a dismount. That’s the first thing we’re going to do.’ After two weeks of going into the pit, I got my dismount!” McClain competed every weekend for three months, nearly triple what elite gymnasts do in a year. This boosted her confidence and reignited her joy in competing.
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Just as McClain found renewed joy and confidence in competing after an intense schedule, Simone Biles faced a similar resurgence during the 2020 Tokyo Games. She experienced “twisties,” which caused her to lose her sense of orientation in the air during the team’s final competition. Her coach has been instrumental in overcoming the block. On a popular Spotify podcast Call Her Daddy, Simone Biles also elaborated saying, “So whenever they were looking at me and doing it, it just like, it’s so weird. And so we, yeah, we had to go back to the basics.” She mentioned feeling uncertain about competing since she hadn’t fully recovered from the twisties.
Konnor McClain’s coach Jay Clark emphasizes the importance of getting McClain healthy, happy, and adjusted to the new environment. She endured the loss of her grandmother and father and underwent two surgeries last year to address a cyst and a metal plate in her hand. Now, she is fully healed and ready to focus on her training. From her announcement of joining the Lousiana State University a season early to originally planning to join the squad at the 2024 Paris Olympics, that decision made all the difference. She said, “The light wasn’t there, it was very dim last year.” She wanted to make a huge difference because she wanted to prove what she was capable of saying. “If they say I can’t do something, I want to come back even better,” McClain said.
Similarly, Simone Biles’ coach, Laurent Landi, has played a crucial role in her preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Landi and his wife Cécile have been coaching Biles since 2018. Their approach has focused on prioritizing Biles’ safety and mental well-being, as seen during her struggles with the ‘twisties’ at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They have encouraged Biles to compete at the upcoming Olympics and consider transitioning into a specialist role focusing on the floor and vault. Biles shared that going to talk therapy was significantly helpful as it allowed her to “process all her emotions.”
