Earlier at the Olympics, Biles had withdrawn from all of her individual events as she cited mental health reasons.
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Earlier in the Tokyo Olympics, US gymnast Simone Biles had withdrawn from certain competitions citing mental health reasons. While there were mixed reactions to her decision, most of them were positive and of support. If the American gymnast was to participate in the Olympics this year, it would have been a big deal even if she did not manage to win a medal for her country. Fortunately for everyone, Biles fought her mental health issues and made a strong return to the Olympics on Tuesday. She was involved in the final of the women’s balance beam event. She might not have bagged the gold medal, but finishing with bronze is a great achievement in itself.
The US gymnast was beaten by 16-year-old Guan Chenchen and 18-year-old Tang Xijing, both from China. Guan bagged the gold medal with a total score of 14.6333 while Tang won the silver with a score of 14.233. The performance is yet another testament to China’s unrelenting dominance at the Olympics this year. Biles finished in third place with a total score of 14.000 and won the bronze medal for the US.
Biles, who is touted as the greatest gymnast of all time, had won the bronze medal in the same competition five years ago in Rio. The gymnast had previously withdrawn from all of her other individual events, citing mental health reasons. Biles said that she was suffering from ‘the twisties’ and that she needed to prioritize her mental health over participating in the sport.
Her comeback to the women’s balance beam event was most unexpected, as fans thought that it was the end of the US gymnast at this year’s Games. Nevertheless, there was still a lot of excitement in the air as she walked out to do what she does best. The three-time world champion scored a total of 14.000 points which included a difficulty score of 6.100 and an execution score of 7.900.
Considering her situation and the rules surrounding the balance beam event, it was rather brave of Biles to make her comeback. This is because athletes are not allowed to warm up on the beam before the event. She had to execute her routine in one go. Biles, however, seemed confident as she executed her pike back somersault to perfection, interspersing her routine with free cartwheels and backflipping into her two layouts.
Biles’ teammate, however, did not have much luck. Sunisa Lee missed out on a medal with a score of 13.866 after she was penalized for a couple of missteps. Canadian gymnast Elisabeth Black finished in fourth place despite having the same score. Black seemed to be the one who would win the bronze but China’s Guan then surpassed everyone that had performed before her. Her routine was the final one of the competition.
