Simone Biles conceded she "should have quit" gymnastics "way before" before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

In an in-depth interview for The Cut, Biles gave her most honest account of the Tokyo Olympics yet.

The 24-year-old went into the Games expected to successfully defend her four Olympic titles, but she withdrew from the team, individual all-around, vault, uneven bars and floor events with a case of the "twisties''.

She then bravely returned to earn a bronze medal in the balance beam.

Biles revealed the trouble started upon arrival in Tokyo, where there were strict COVID-19 regulations in place.

"Leading up to it, I got more and more nervous," she said. "I didn’t feel as confident as I should have been with as much training as we had."

After qualifying for all six Olympic finals, Biles struggled to execute moves in training.

"I was not physically capable," the American said. "Every avenue we tried, my body was like, 'Simone, chill. Sit down. We’re not doing it'. And I’ve never experienced that."

Despite this, Biles stepped out to compete in the team all-around final alongside Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Grace McCallum. She was competing on the vault first, but only completed a 1.5 flip after going for a 2.5. The twisties had set in.

"It’s so dangerous," Biles explained. "It’s basically life or death. It’s a miracle I landed on my feet. If that was any other person, they would have gone out on a stretcher. As soon as I landed that vault, I went and told my coach: 'I cannot continue.' "

Simone Biles gave an emotional testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, who are investigating the handling of the FBI’s investigation into Larry Nassar

Weeks on from the Tokyo Olympics, Biles gave an emotional testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, who are investigating the handling of the FBI’s investigation into Larry Nassar.

In 2017, former USA Gymnastics team doctor Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison after he was accused of sexual abuse by more than 330 women and girls, including Biles.

In her testimony, Biles suggested her struggles at Tokyo 2020 could be attributed to the abuse inflicted on her by Nassar, and she reiterated this in her interview with The Cut.

"If you looked at everything I’ve gone through for the past seven years, I should have never made another Olympic team," Biles said. "I should have quit way before Tokyo, when Larry Nassar was in the media for two years. It was too much.

"But I was not going to let him take something I’ve worked for since I was 6 years old. I wasn’t going to let him take that joy away from me. So I pushed past that for as long as my mind and my body would let me."