The three-time world balance beam champion changed her dismount, taking out any twists that could give her issues, and competed a dismount she hadn’t done since she was 12 years old. Simone Biles: Artistic Gymnastics - Tokyo 2020 Top Highlights and Medal Moments More than any medal She returned to competition on the final day of artistic gymnastics competition at the Tokyo Games, having been cleared to compete in the balance beam final. First Lady Michelle Obama and actress Kerry Washington, the 24-year-old was working behind the scenes to be cleared to return to competition.īiles, who won four gold medals at Rio 2016, had qualified for all five individual finals but withdrew from the all-around, vault, uneven bars and floor exercise medal rounds. While Biles received messages of support on social media from the likes of former U.S. “We wouldn't be a silver Olympic medalist because of who she is as a person.”Īfter the fact, her bravery showed the world the importance of prioritizing oneself, even when it means walking away from a dream. “This medal is definitely for her, because if it wasn't if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be here where we are right now,” said Jordan Chiles, who trained alongside Biles in Houston for two years leading to the Tokyo Games. In the moment, her act inspired her teammates. "If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be here." So, I just decided that those girls need to go in and do the rest the competition.” “I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screw-ups because they've worked way too hard for that. “I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat to work on my mindfulness, and I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job,” Biles explained in the post-event press conference. She didn’t know what she might do on the other events, if more errors would cost Team USA a chance at any medal or worse endanger herself physically. She had a case of the 'twisties' – where a gymnast’s mind and body fall out of sync. When Biles stepped down from the vaulting podium after getting lost while attempting a two-and-a-half twisting vault in the women’s team final, she knew she couldn’t keep competing. It was choosing herself on the world’s biggest stage at last summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. "Leaving Tokyo with 2 more Olympic medals to add to my collection isn't too shabby! 7 time olympic medalist.Simone Biles’ bravest move wasn’t any of her incredible, daring, viral artistic gymnastics elements, not the triple double nor the Yurchenko double pike. I'm truly grateful," she captioned a photo of the Olympic logo. thanks everyone for the endless love and support. I'll forever cherish this unique olympic experience. "Not at all how I imagined or dreamed my second olympics would go but blessed to represent the usa. In an Instagram post at the time, Biles shared how proud she was of herself and her team, regardless of the unfortunate circumstances. "I had to put my pride aside and say, 'Okay, this isn't going to work.'" I had to put myself first, listen to my mind and body, what my heart was telling me to do," Biles recalled. "I had worked for five years and I didn't want to let that dream go. Though she was understandably devastated and confused at the time, she now sees the decision as "probably the most courageous I've ever been." If you walk away from this and you still are walking, that's a win in your book.'" It's not the end of the world, it's just sports. The gymnast said she considered competing despite not feeling her best and having no air awareness, but she said, "That would be so selfish of me to put the team's medal contention in jeopardy, put myself in jeopardy," adding, "I had to be like, 'Simone, it's okay. She added, "I was like, 'You know what? I have to do what's best for me, what's safe, and what's healthy for me.'" Most of the time, I've always put myself on the back burner, because I've always cared and thought about everybody else before myself." When fans asked her what was wrong, she said she was experiencing the "twisties," which is the term for when a gymnast's air awareness is off.īiles was on track to win six gold medals at the Tokyo Games, and after withdrawing from various exercises, she still took home the silver for women's artistic team all-around and the bronze for women's balance beam.Īt the conference for women leaders Wednesday, Biles said, "I had to put myself into consideration for one of the first times throughout my career. She also shared two videos of her training on bars, trying to complete her twisting and flipping dismount, and said that what she was supposed to do in competition and what she actually accomplished in training did not match up. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play
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