In this Aug 3, 2021 photo, USA's Simone Biles poses with her bronze medal during the podium ceremony of the artistic gymnastics women's balance beam of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo. (LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP)

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles earned Time magazine's "Athlete of the Year" honor, the publication said on Thursday.

The 24-year-old gymnast traveled to the Tokyo Games this year with the intent of rewriting the record books but instead brought about a groundbreaking, global conversation around athletes' mental well-being

The 24-year-old gymnast traveled to the Tokyo Games this year with the intent of rewriting the record books but instead brought about a groundbreaking, global conversation around athletes' mental well-being.

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She dropped out of the opening event in Tokyo, citing concerns for her mental health and a case of the "twisties," a frightening and dangerous form of mental disorientation while completing one of her gravity-defying feats.

She later returned to the competition, winning a bronze medal on the balance beam after earning the support of her fellow athletes in gymnastics and beyond.

In this Aug 3, 2021 file photo, USA's Simone Biles gets ready to compete in the artistic gymnastics women's balance beam final of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo. (LIONEL BONAVENTURE / AFP)

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"It showed us that we are more than the sport, that we are human beings who also can have days that are hard," her teammate, Sunisa Lee, told Time. "It really humanized us."