Simone Biles pulling out of all the events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics had all her fans and supporters worried. There were speculations about her retiring from the competition altogether. But she put all the rumors to rest when she made a comeback at the Olympics in the balance beam tournament.
America had pinned all her hopes on the four times gold medalist, but Biles fell a little short in her performance due to her mental state is in tatters, but the 24-year-old managed to clinch bronze at the showpiece event.
Biles had been in and out of therapy during the break. Her daily schedules involved two sessions with a psychologist in Tokyo. Biles said in an interview that she could not handle the pressure, it was too much for her. The gymnast had recently found her aunt had passed away and this added to her mental distress.
It’s been a very long week, it’s been a very long five years,” Biles said speaking in the gymnastics center after the event. ‘I didn’t expect a medal today. I just wanted to go out there and do this for me, and that’s exactly what I did. Then just focusing on beam since I don’t twist and all that really helped”, she said.
Biles’ showcased an extraordinary performance at the Games. She did not wobble once. She ended her performance with a wave and kiss to the camera, just like a star! She scored a total of 14.000. She is now one of the American gymnasts who has won the most number of medals at the Olympics.
After her win, Team USA tweeted:
“Making history. Always. @simone_biles ties the record for the most Olympic medals won by a U.S gymnast. #TokyoOlympics.”
Making history. Always. @Simone_Biles ties the record for the most Olympic medals won by a U.S. gymnast. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/4lXZ6waUeQ
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 3, 2021
When she was asked about how she was feeling after winning a bronze, she said, “I’ll cherish this a lot more. I would like to dedicate it to all Team USA for helping me and reaching out and supporting me. It’s just meant the world.”
The gold and silver medals were both won by China’s Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing respectively.
