Simone Biles faced incredible pressure at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ... and by overcoming the stressful situation, she'll now be a strong advocate for mental health, according to Dominique Dawes.
Dawes -- a gymnastics icon with 4 Olympic medals -- applauds the 24-year-old for stepping back when she needed to ... telling TMZ Sports Biles was doing "what was right for her mentally as well as for her physically."
"It didn’t matter about having to prove fans wrong or prove the federation wrong or whatever it is, and you know, listen to what those around her are telling her what she should do.