A week after withdrawing from several events due to mental health concerns, Simone Biles made a spectacular return to Olympics competition…and she stuck the landing.
Biles captured the bronze medal in her final event of the Tokyo Games, the balance beam. It’s an accomplishment that is remarkable not just because of the tremendous pressure and scrutiny she was under, but because beam isn’t even considered one of her strongest events.
She used a double-pike dismount and posted a score of 14.000. That earned her the bronze behind the Chinese duo of gold medalist Guan Chenchen (14.633) and Tang Xijing (14.233).
Biles spoke afterward:
“I didn’t expect a medal today, I just wanted to go out there for me and that’s what I did. I was proud of myself just to go out there after what I’ve been through.”
Sunisa Lee, Biles’ Team USA teammate who won the all-around gold medal, finished fifth. The 18-year-old Lee won three medals in Tokyo, including silver in the team final and bronze on uneven bars.
Biles’ medal was a historic achievement, tying her for the most Olympic medals by any gymnast in U.S. history.
Biles had been the face of NBC’s Olympics coverage heading into the games. But she withdrew from all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise and vault events because she was suffering from what she called “the twisties,” and was having trouble locating herself in the air during her routines.
Her decision to withdraw from those events amid great expectations put the spotlight on the importance of mental health in sports in general and highlighted the pressure elite athletes like Olympians face.