twisties

[twis-teez]

plural noun

Gymnastics.

1. a loss of spatial awareness or physical orientation resulting in an inability to execute gymnastics skills previously within an athlete’s repertoire.

Word History and Origins

Origin of twisties¹

First recorded in 2021; twist ( def. ) + -y ² ( def. ) + -s ³ ( def. )

Example Sentences

She explained that mental health care became a key aspect of her own life after her performance at the 2020 Olympics was derailed by a case of the “twisties,” a dangerous mental block in which a gymnast loses all spatial awareness while in the air.

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Mental blocks in gymnastics became international news when Simone Biles cited “the twisties” when withdrawing from the Olympic team final in Tokyo.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Three years after suffering the 'twisties', which led to her pulling out of several events at the Tokyo Olympics with the disorientating mental block, Biles was back to her brilliant best at this summer's Games in Paris.

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Another major comeback was that of legendary gymnast Simone Biles, who earned three gold medals and one silver — becoming the most decorated U.S. gymnast of all time in the process — after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 over a bout of the “twisties.”

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After suffering a bout of the “twisties,” a disorienting sensation that unmoored Biles’ body from her mind in Tokyo, she elected to withdraw from the Games.

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