Simone Biles has once again proved why she is indeed the G.O.A.T! After a disappointing appearance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles gave it another run at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With a vengeful return, the renowned gymnast has already broken a record just five days into the competition. However, she didn’t achieve such a mighty feat without first taking care of her mental health.
On Tuesday, the Women’s Gymnastics final took place, and Team USA was declared the winner, taking home the gold medal. America’s Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera, and Jade Carey dominated the table with a score of 171.296. The women each competed in all four exercises — the Vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor — getting great scores. However, Biles scored the highest: 14.900 in the Vault and 14.666 in the floor routine. It was her floor routine that catapulted the USA team over Italy and Brazil, who came second and third, respectively.
The victory for team USA marked Biles fifth gold medal and her eighth medal overall. The 27-year-old surpassed Shannon Miller to become the most decorated American gymnast in history. She also became the oldest American woman ever to win gymnastics gold.
Simone Biles Felt ‘Calm & Ready’ Before Olympic Finals
Biles has since credited therapy for helping her shatter several records. In an interview after the victory lap, Biles opened up about her ritual before the game. The Houston native who pulled out of Tokyo 2020 due to a case of twisties — a mental block — decided to clear her head before the competition.
“At the beginning of the day, I started off with therapy this morning so that was super exciting. And then I told her I was feeling calm and ready. And that’s kind of exactly what happened.”
The athlete, who started the competition with her vault routine expressed relief that she dominated that exercise without trauma from Tokyo affecting her. “After I finished Vault, I was relieved. I was like, ‘whoo,’ because there’s no flashbacks (to the Tokyo Games) or anything,” she said according to CNN. Despite the backlash she faced for quitting the 2020 Olympics to focus on her mental health, Biles’ inspiring victory on Tuesday proves she made the right choice.
