Cairo World Cup double gold medallist Joscelyn Roberson on Simone Biles: “We’ve talked about the twisties a lot”
Plus, Heath Thorpe claims his first Australian national title and a look back at Argentina's Celeste Carnevale at Athens 2004.
Artistic Gymnastics
U.S. gymnast Joscelyn Roberson and seven-time Olympic medallist Simone Biles have shared their struggles with the twisties, the gymnastics phenomenon where the gymnasts body and mind fall out of sync.
"We've talked about the twisties a lot because I've gotten them countless times," said Roberson, who began training in September at World Champions Centre, the Houston gym owned by Biles' family, during a USA Gymnastics media availability on Wednesday (10 May). "She was just telling me how it was the weirdest feeling and how she didn't feel in control of her body. I was like, 'I know exactly what you're talking about.'"
Biles withdrew from several finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in order to prioritize her mental health as she dealt with a case of the twisties. Her decision sparked a global conversation about mental health in sports.
"Talking about the twisties with her made me feel like I wasn't the only one who got the twisties," concluded Roberson.
Roberson, 17, recently won two gold medals at the Cairo World Cup on vault and floor exercise. She was also recently named to the U.S. team for the upcoming Pan American Championships, scheduled for 22-29 May in Medellin, Colombia.
Heath Thorpe captures first Australian all-around title
22-year-old Heath Thorpe captured his first national all-around crown Thursday (11 May) at the Australian Gymnastics Championships at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre in Carrara, Australia.
Thorpe posted a 78.299 total, well clear of second place James Hardy’s 77.181 total. Kipp Smith was the bronze medalist at 76.964.
“AUSTRALIAN ALL-AROUND CHAMPION 😭🥇👑,” Thorpe wrote in a post on Instagram. “15 years in the sport, 8 attempts at an all-around title, and numerous setbacks… it’s hard to emote how I am feeling.
“I’ll have more words soon, but for now I’m soaking this in, and enjoying he moment,” he continued. “Thank you to everyone who got me this far.”
Last week, Thorpe was part of the Australian men’s team that beat out Team New Zealand for a five-man team berth to the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Thorpe and the Aussie squad will have a chance to qualify to Paris 2024 at those Worlds, where a majority of the quota spots will be up for grabs.
Australia’s women’s team also qualified to Antwerp.
From the vault…
This week, we take a look back at Argentina’s Celeste Carnevale’s all-around performance from qualifying at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She finished 56th in the all-around standings.