The 2016 individual gold medalist had to  withdraw from the gymnastic team final  

and the first three apparatus finals because  of the strain on her mental health. Biles said,

"It wasn't easy pulling out  of all those competitions."

She added that she chose to  prioritize herself, explaining,

"People just thought it was easy, but  I physically and mentally was not in  

the right head space and I didn't want  to jeopardize my health and my safety  

because, at the end of the  day, it's not worth it."

The star later decided to defend her bronze  medal on the balance beam and walked away victorious.

She explained that she was grateful  to win the bronze medal. The 24-year-old said,

"[It] just meant the world to be back  out there. And I wasn't expecting to  

walk away with the medal. I was just  going out there doing this for me."

While Biles was happy with how  she finished her run in Tokyo,  

the Olympian was also in a rush to get home.

After the beam finals, Simone Biles' aunt  on her father's side "unexpectedly passed,"  

the Ohio native told reporters.

Simone Biles' coach, Cecile Landi, spoke to the  outlet about the devastating loss. She said,

"That was another one, I was like, 'Oh  my God. This week needs to be over.'"

She explained that Biles powered through the  painful time. Landi asked the Olympian how she  

could help, but Biles replied she just needed  time. The Team USA Gymnastics coach continued,

"She called her parents. She said,  'There's nothing I can do from over here.

So I'm just going to finish my week  and when I get home we'll deal with it.'"

Landi also shared her perspective  

on Biles withdrawing from a few events  to protect her mental health. She said,

"I don't think I would have had the guts to say  I'm not okay. I think I would have probably just  

crashed somewhere, and probably injured myself.  I think for me, she's the first one at a meet  

at the biggest stage, to say 'I'm not okay.' A  lot of people don't understand it, but we do."

Despite facing many challenges in Tokyo, Biles  managed to leave Japan not only as a medalist  

but also an inspiration to people around  the globe who struggle with mental health.

Although certain commentators reckon Simone  Biles should've just shut up and got on with it,  

the Olympian hopes that by speaking  up about her struggles in Tokyo,  

she can help end the stigma surrounding mental  health issues in the athletic community.  

As the New York Post notes, Biles became the  biggest headline out of the games although  

she likely didn't intend to be. On her  decision to speak up, the gymnast said,

"I think it should be talked about a  lot more, especially with athletes,  

because I know some of us are going through  the same things and we're always told to push  

through it. But we're all a little bit older  now and we can kind of speak for ourselves."

She added emphatically,

"At the end of the day, we're not just  entertainment, we're humans and there are  

things going on behind the scenes that we're also  trying to juggle with as well on top of sports."

As NBC New York notes, Biles went on to  explain that just because people assumed  

she wasn't really at risk — since her issue  was mental rather than physical — that doesn't  

necessarily mean that was the case. And for  everybody claiming the gymnast simply gave up,

"The girls saw me in training and  my coaches saw me in training,  

I physically couldn't do it safely."

According to CNN, the G.O.A.T. Simone Biles  opened up about the loss of her beloved  

aunt during a press conference following her  bronze medal win on Tuesday. Biles admitted,

"Two days ago my aunt unexpectedly passed,  

and that was something I wasn't expecting  to happen at the Olympic Games either."

She added,

"So at the end of the day, you have to be a  little bit more mindful of what you say online,  

because you have no idea of what these athletes  are going through as well as (in) their sports."

The champion gymnast was clearly referring to the  

scathing commentary surrounding  her stepping back from the games.

Still, her return to the balance beam was no  easy feat, with Biles noting that daily medical  

evaluations took place to ensure she was okay  to go ahead. Likewise, a sports psychologist  

helped her feel "more level-headed"  overall. The Olympian acknowledged that,  

ultimately, she didn't expect to be cleared to  compete again. Despite her seemingly letting  

down large sections of the internet - who  most likely couldn't dream of achieving  

anything close to what she has — Biles confirmed  she was "leaving Tokyo with a full heart."

As the celebrated athlete explained  on Instagram, the experience was,

"Not at all how I imagined or  dreamed my second Olympics would go."

Regardless, she feels "blessed  to represent the USA," noting,  

"I'll forever cherish this  unique Olympic experience."

If you or someone you know is struggling with  mental health, please contact the Crisis Text  

Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the  National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline  

at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the  National Institute of Mental Health website.