Simone does it for ‘me’, but gets bronze anyway
TOKYO: Simone Biles’s nightmare Olympics concluded with the US gymnastics superstar returning in the beam final on Tuesday, declaring “I did it for me” after taking bronze behind Chinese teenager Guan Chenchen.
It was Biles’s first taste of competition in Tokyo since dramatically standing down during the women’s team final last week, struggling with the “twisties”, a condition meaning gymnasts lose the ability to orientate themselves in mid-air.
“I was just happy to be able to perform regardless of the outcome. I wasn’t expecting to walk away with the medal, I was just doing this for me,” said Biles, who revealed her aunt died two days ago.
“I did this for me and me only. I just went out there and had fun.”
After also withdrawing from the first three apparatus finals in the uneven bars, vault and floor, she said she had only been cleared to compete in the beam on Monday night.
The four-time gold medallist from the Rio Games received a huge cheer from her US teammates when she entered the arena. She looked pensive on her comeback as she waited for her turn to climb up onto the 10cm wide beam for one of the most intensely scrutinised 90-second routines.
She approached the beam, chalked up, and finally got the wheels back on her derailed Olympic campaign.
While avoiding any twists incorporated in her favoured and most difficult moves, she put in a solid performance, ending with a double backward somersault, double pike dismount.
Her routine earned the triple world champion on the apparatus 14.000 points.
She was lying second behind Tang Xijing until 16-year-old Chinese Guan Chenchen put in a superb display to take gold with 14.633 points.
“I was a little bit nervous for the dismount just because we had to switch it and I probably haven’t done a double pike dismount since I was 12 years old, so it was kind of hard to control that,” said Biles.
“But to go out there and compete one more time and have everybody’s support meant the world.”
Biles arrived in Tokyo with superstar billing and history in her sights. She leaves with her reputation enhanced — not by more gold medals, but by her candid approach to mental health.
The American, gymnastics’ acknowledged G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time), provided the shock of the Tokyo Olympics when she abruptly pulled out of the team competition over the “twisties”.
But soon signs appeared of other top athletes following her example by prioritising mental wellbeing over competition.
“My mental and physical health is above all medals that I could ever win,” she said.