Superstar Simone Biles shines through the enormous Olympic pressure
At the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles showed nerves and had to withdraw from the team final. It took three years of mental rebuilding. Now, the American is back on the Olympic stage - and celebrating a triumphant comeback.
The final notes of the US national anthem had barely faded when Simone Biles reached up with her right hand to grasp the gold medal hanging around her neck. She pulled the precious metal slightly forward, as if to say, "look what I've got" - and flashed her infectious All-American smile. Gymnastics superstar Biles is back on the Olympic stage - and how.
The 27-year-old won gold with the team on Tuesday evening in the sold-out Paris Bercy arena, packed with 15,000 fans, at least half of them from the US. And it was fitting that Biles herself delivered the crowning final touch. She began her floor routine with "Ready for it" by Taylor Swift. Naturally. Why not? The ultimate gymnast and the catchy beat of perhaps the biggest star in music history. What could go wrong?
Fifth Olympic gold, almost three years after her low point
And Biles quickly made it clear: she was "ready for it". Ready to collect the final points for Team USA's Olympic victory that evening. Ready for a triumphant Olympic comeback. And ready for her fifth Olympic gold. Almost exactly three years ago, on July 27, 2021, her world was a very different place - not shining, but sad. At the Tokyo Olympics, Biles stepped out of the team final after a botched vault at the start. The reason: "twisties". A disorientation during twists in the air. "The brain no longer communicates with the body," coach Laurent Landi emphasized in a recently published Netflix documentary about Biles.
She felt like she was trapped in her own body and mind, Biles remembers. The four-time Olympic champion from Rio and 19-time world champion, the woman who performs elements with the highest degree of difficulty, suddenly seemed human for the first time in her career. Because Biles was no longer the invincible one, no longer the dominant winner. No, she showed weaknesses, had nerves, lacked self-confidence. Like so many athletes at the most important competition of the year. Like children and teenagers before important school exams. Like employees facing a big project.
"Alright, let's get started"
And now, on this July 30, 2024, Simone Arianna Biles Owens stands at the starting line for the team final. All eyes and attention in Paris Bercy are on her, just like in Tokyo. And Cecile Landi, US national coach and also Biles' personal coach, had to "think of Tokyo for a moment," as she later noted. But Biles doesn't look anxious, just focused and determined. She runs 25 meters along the track, jumps off powerfully, spins several times, and lands smoothly to the cheers of the audience. She was "relieved," Biles said. And she immediately said to herself, "Alright, let's get started."
And the audience wanted to see more of her. The majority of the fans had come to the northeast of Paris, especially to see the Texas gymnastics icon. Celebrities like Nicole Kidman, Serena Williams, Spike Lee, Bill Gates, Natalie Portman, Michael Phelps, Tom Cruise, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, or Ariana Grande were also there, wanting to witness the Olympic comeback of this exceptional athlete. Four apparatuses were being competed on simultaneously, with floor exercises taking center stage. They were right in the middle of the hall, accompanied by loud, musical accompaniment. But when Biles was up, all eyes, all attention, all applause were hers.
Therapy session on competition morning
Biles had already made an impressive return to the international spotlight at the 2021 World Championships in Antwerp, winning four gold and one silver medal. But the Olympics are a different challenge. No one really knows what the past three years have been like for her, Landi emphasizes. And the process is not yet complete. Biles is still in therapy, even having a session with her specialist on Tuesday morning in Paris. Their collaboration is already showing great progress.
What others think of her, what they say, no longer matters to her. She ignores all the haters, critics, and perpetual naysayers. "I don't count medals and keep track of statistics," Biles stressed. Instead, she simply goes out and does what she does. Above all, she does what she loves and enjoys. Biles has nothing left to prove. She has secured her place in gymnastics history as one of the greatest of all time.
Taller than the Eiffel Tower for a moment
That she is still outstanding at 27 years old is exactly what her protégé, and especially herself, showed in the team final of these XXXIII Games, says coach Landi. Uneven bars, balance beam, floor - with each exercise, Biles brings the fans to their feet. This relatively small American, at just 1.42 meters tall, is bigger than the Eiffel Tower, more intriguing than the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, and more exquisite than the finest five-star restaurants in the city, all in one evening in Paris.
And the best entertainer in her sport wants to continue to captivate the crowd at the Bercy Arena in the coming days. Biles will compete in four more finals: all-around, vault, balance beam, and floor. It could, as it was in 2016 in Rio, be another gold medal gala for her. And Simone Biles is "ready for it".
In the heart of Paris, the Olympic Games 2024 are underway, and Simone Biles once again gracefully takes center stage. She aims to defend her titles and add to her impressive collection of medals.
With her triumphant performance in the team final, Biles proved that she is indeed "ready for it," continuing her extraordinary journey from the Tokyo Olympics' low point to becoming an Olympic comeback champion.
