Superstar gymnast Simone Biles said despite the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and the possibility the games might be cancelled outright, she and other Olympic athletes are continuing to "train as if."
"Going in every day knowing and hoping 2021 is on the horizon keeps me going," Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and the most decorated female gymnast in history, said on "TODAY" on Thursday morning about her training.
"We don’t know what’s going to happen, so we train as if," she said. "Training has been a little bit different," she added, with gymnasts' schedules staggered and all staff wearing masks.
Biles, who graces the cover of Vogue’s August issue, also talked about her comments in that magazine article about racism and the aftermath of being among hundreds of athletes sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
The 23-year-old athlete said that the first personal experience of racism she recalled was in 2013, when a competitor whom she beat said, "Maybe next time we'll paint our skin black so we can win."
"That was really the news instead of me winning," Biles said of media coverage of the comment, which according to Vogue was made by an Italian gymnast at the World Championships that year.
Biles also talked about her recovering from the trauma of being abused by Nassar, saying that therapy has helped.
"Therapy isn't bad," she said. "Now, I look forward to therapy because it's a safe outlet for me, and I hope everyone feels comfortable and confident speaking out."
Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually abusing 10 minors in a Michigan court in January 2018, and is serving up to 175 years in prison.
