JD Vance courts controversy after old clip slating Simone Biles for quitting Olympic surfaces

JD Vance has courted controversy yet again for his old statements after US gymnast Simone Biles won a record eighth Olympics gold in Paris on Tuesday (Jul 31). Vance, the Republican vice president nominee had criticised Biles in 2021, when she pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics citing mental health issues.

In the interviewwith Fox News dated July 2021, Vance called out the media for supporting Biles and making a hero out of her on quitting the biggest sporting tournament in the world.

“It’s understandable that she was going through an incredible amount of pressure,” the Ohio senator said at the time.

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“What I find so weird about this – and it reflects on the media more than it does on Simone Biles – is that we’ve tried to turn a very tragic moment, Simone Biles quitting the Olympic team, into this act of heroism,” he added.

Vance, the VP pick by Trump, suggested that instead of praising people for their strength and heroic moments, we are instead celebrating their weakest moments.

“Being an athlete at that level is incredibly tough. A normal response at this moment would be to say, ‘It’s just a shame that she’s going through this. It’s a shame that she quit,’ but instead, what our press has done, I think, is turn this into this weird therapeutic moment. ‘Let’s praise her for doing this.’ And I think that’s really where the problem herein lies,” said Vance.

Biles' comeback story

Notably, Biles had pulled out of the Olympics as she was suffering from a condition known as the "twisties" under which her spatial awareness while performing the death-defying routines up in air took a hit. Gymnasts usually suffer from the condition which creates a high-risk and dangerous situation when they are attempting to stick landings.

Despite the setback, Biles bounced back in style in Paris and secured an eighth gold medal in the women's team event on Tuesday - becoming the most decorated gymnast in the US and fifth-most decorated female Olympic gymnast. She still has four more events on her schedule -- and four more opportunities to add to her medal collection.

As for Vance, he recently came under heavy scrutiny after another old video surfaced where he could be heardreferring toDemocratic politicians as a "bunch of childless cat ladies with miserable lives".

Vance’s remark, made in 2021, has been criticised, with Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston among those to have hit out at the Republican.

(With inputs from agencies)