If you’re a sports fan then you’ve probably heard of Simone Biles. The most decorated gymnast in history with 10 Olympic medals (7 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) and 30 World Championship medals, she is widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time. Biles is also an advocate for prioritising mental health, making the difficult decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics in 2020/1 to care for her own wellbeing. She returned to competition in August 2023 and has continued her extraordinary dominance across multiple disciplines, including 3 gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In response to the challenge of caring for the mental wellbeing of their athletes, USA Gymnastics added a new member to their team – Beacon, the 4 year old therapy Golden Retriever! It has been Beacon’s job to calm the nerves of anxious competitors, and celebrate or commiserate with them too. He is able to identify moments when he is needed, and responds immediately if he is called. He and his handler, former gymnast Tracey Callahan Molnar, are also aware that not all athletes like his attention and so he gives them the space they need.
USA Swimming also included therapy dogs as companions at their meets, including their Olympic Team Trials, acknowledging the calming effect the dogs can have in such high-intensity environments.
Sadly Beacon wasn’t able to travel to Paris with Simone and the rest of the team this year, though he did send a video of support, to which the team replied ‘We love you Beacon!’.
You can learn more about Beacon by clicking on any of the photo credit links, and see footage of him taking a break and entertaining the crowd at the US Olympic trials here.
