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

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.”

From Salon

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.

From Salon

Andrade had previously won a gold medal in the vault event at the Tokyo Games in 2021 after Biles withdrew from the competition after being plagued with a bout of the "twisties."

From Salon

Paris was nothing if not a redemption tour for Biles, who chose to drop out of her last Olympic Games in Tokyo after she was plagued by the "twisties," a disorienting dissonance between the mind and the body.

From Salon

The backdrop to every stunned reaction, though, is an injury-hit career and struggles with the sort of 'twisties' that artistic gymnast Simone Biles so famously went through at Tokyo 2020.

From BBC