NEW YORK — Simone Biles explained her decision to withdraw from the women’s gymnastics team final at the Olympics Tuesday, after finding her mental strength was off.

"I was just shaking. I could barely nap. I’ve just never felt like this going into a competition before and I tried to go out here and have fun" said Biles, but she couldn't shake it.  

The pressures of being one of the most watched athletes of the Tokyo games was simply too much.

"I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat and work on my mindfulness, and I knew that the girls would an absolutely great job and I didn't want to risk the team a medal," Biles added.

The U.S. women's team earned the silver medal, finishing behind Russia after a decision many applaud as brave.

"I was so proud of her and so impressed that she's being as transparent and honest about the fact that she needed to do this for her own mental health," said Carrie Bates.

As a competitive swimmer Carrie Bates remembers becoming a three time Olympic gold medalist in 1984 before battling addiction. She credits athletes like Biles and Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the French Open earlier this year to take a mental health break from competition, for setting a healthy example for young athletes.

"I do think that there is both a generational and cultural shift happening with regards to mental health, you know it's interesting back when I was competing in the eighties and nineties there was no discussion about mental health," said Bates.

Bates is now an outreach manager for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, and an advocate for recovery, as well as for reducing the stigma around mental health struggles. She is among those glad to see Biles as a role model.

"That's why I chose years ago to recover out loud from my own issues and I use my own platform that way," Bates said.