Simone Biles leaves painful memories of Tokyo behind to win gold in Paris

PARIS – At the very end of the women’s team final at the Paris Games on July 30, even before Simone Biles had finished her difficult floor routine and the crowd roared in appreciation of the most decorated American Olympic gymnast in history, the United States knew that they had accomplished what they came here for.

And that was to reclaim the title of Olympic champions.

It was all thanks to Biles, who is now a different person than the one who abruptly pulled out of the Tokyo Games in 2021 amid a mental health crisis, and it showed as she led her teammates to gold.

Standing at the end of the runway before her vault, the 27-year-old said she was not haunted by the memories of her tumultuous time in Tokyo and was soon soaring high as she executed the Cheng vault that helped lift the US into a lead they would not relinquish.

“After I finished the vault I was relieved because phew, there were no flashbacks or anything,” she told an overflowing press conference at the Bercy Arena.

When Biles abruptly quit the team final in Tokyo after feeling disorientated while executing her vault, her teammates had to quickly turn to Plan B and ended up with a disappointing silver behind the Russian Olympic Committee team.

On July 30, as soon as Biles had nailed her vault, she knew that the Americans were destined to reassert their gymnastics supremacy on the world’s biggest stage.

“As soon as I landed... I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re definitely going to do this’,” she added.

Her teammate and close friend Jordan Chiles said she too was relieved.

“I was thinking hallelujah, no flashbacks, no nothing,” she said with a laugh.

From there, the team joyfully celebrated one another’s accomplishments as they made their way around four rotations at the arena next to the Seine, in the end easily eclipsing silver medallists Italy by almost six points.

With the crowd rallying behind them, the US finished with a total of 171.296, an impressive 5.802 points ahead of the Italians (165.494). Brazil (164.497) took the bronze.

“It was super exciting,” said an ever-smiling Biles, who was seen breaking into some dance moves with Chiles on the sidelines as they celebrated completing yet another impressive performance.

“We had fun, we enjoyed each other’s time out there and just did our gymnastics.”

Her withdrawal from Tokyo with the “twisties” – a dangerous gymnastics condition involving a temporary loss of spatial awareness – opened a conversation on athletes’ mental health.

After Tokyo, Biles took a two-year break and has since emerged happier, healthier and better than ever.

“I started off with therapy this morning and I told her (the therapist) I was feeling calm and ready. And that’s exactly what happened,” she said.

Chiles said she was proud to witness Biles’ growth.

“You can definitely tell that she’s a different person from Tokyo than she is now,” she added of her teammate who won her fifth overall Olympic gold medal.

“I always love to say I train with the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of all GOATs. She’s always going to be in my heart no matter what.”

But while the Americans were always favourites to reclaim gold, their success did not come easy.

Biles also revealed that a late-night “pow-wow” with her teammates at the Olympic Village helped clear minds.

“We were all full of nerves and not communicating,” she said.

“So we had a pow-wow in one of our rooms last night to chat about how the Olympics were going, that kind of thing. We were trying to give support and let each other know we can lean on one another.”

“It was really needed,” chipped in Chiles.

Sunisa Lee agreed, adding: “It helped me have a better understanding, it helped me a lot.”

Biles is now back to where she belongs, a victorious athlete on the biggest stage of all. She is a champion and a role model to her teammates. But after receiving so much support from them, there is only one way to pay it back.

“I’m there for them if they need help from me,” she said.
REUTERS, AFP, NYTIMES