Simone Biles slams 'sad' remarks after 'almost dying'

Simone Biles won't let negative comments get her down, especially not on vacation.

The seven-time Olympic gold medalist clapped back at a critic who questioned why she was taking "traveling selfies" in Belize shortly after experiencing a near-death medical emergency in early June.

"Ugh these comments make me sad," Biles said in her reply. "a little over two weeks ago, I experienced a serious medical emergency that could have ended very differently, and this trip has been part of allowing myself to heal & appreciate being here."

The back-and-forth took place in the comment section of Biles' Instagram post about her recent trip to Belize, which featured multiple photos of her lounging.

"Relaxing in paradise 🖤🐚👙," Biles captioned the June 17 post.

Biles' trip came days after she revealed she was hospitalized following an incident on June 6, telling fans that "almost dying wasn't on my bingo card earlier this week." Biles has yet to offer additional details on the medical episode.

"I hope you understand that life changing experiences can shift your perspective. & that you're able to extend a little more grace to others moving forward 😘 have a nice day!" she added in her response to the commenter.

Simone Biles on health scare: 'Scariest experience of my life'

While Biles did not go into detail about what occurred, she described it as "one of, if not the scariest experience of my life." Biles broke the news by posting a photo of her arm with three hospital wristbands to her Instagram stories on Saturday, June 6.

"I'm not one to normally share things like this because I value privacy in today's age," she said. "But almost dying wasn't on my bingo card earlier this week."

The incident occurred while her husband, NFL safety Jonathan Owens, was at training camp with his new team, the Indianapolis Colts.

She told followers that she has "been in bed resting this week" and added that she will "explain sooner or later" what happened. Biles also posted another photo of herself in bed with her two dogs, saying, "i'll be here."

Biles won four medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including three gold. It was her grand return after experiencing the "twisties," a gymnastics term for feeling disoriented while competing, and withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has since become an advocate for mental health awareness.

Contributing: Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY