Photo: Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
American Simone Biles, one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, won a bronze medal on the balance beam at the Tokyo Games.
Biles, who was a star in the Rio Games 2016, had withdrawn from previous individual and team competitions due to a mental block known as the twisties , a condition that misplaces gymnasts when they are in the air doing cartwheels.
gymnast of 24 years had not competed since last week in the general team final, in which he did a trestle jump, before retiring saying that he had to pay attention to his mental health.
With a routine full of confidence on the device, Biles obtained a score of 12, 000 .
In the end he let out a smile, in contrast to the difficult week he has had.
The gold medal went to the Chinese Chenchen Guan , with 14, 633 points, and silver went to his compatriot Xijing Tang, with 14, 233 points.
Tang shared a warm hug with Biles, whose name was acclaimed when she was announced as a bronze medalist.
With that medal he adds seven Olympic medals, which ranks her with Shannon Miller as the most decorated U.S. gymnast at the Olympics .
His achievement is also a repeat of the bronze he obtained in Rio five years ago.
A gold round with a bronze medal
Tamara Gil, special envoy to Tokyo
If these Olympic Games are being complicated by the restrictions by covid – 19 and other control measures, the return of Simone Biles was an almost impossible event.
The expectation was maximum and already from the street that led to the enclosure it was evident, with reinforced security and a scrupulous process of verification of the credentials of each visitor; few for an event of such magnitude.
The audience was undoubtedly waiting for Biles and only her: she stood up at her entrance to the track, cheered when she approached the bar and applauded relentlessly when she finished her exercise, having endured her breath in each jump.
She entered apparently calm, with a smile and constantly protected by her equipment, who wouldn’t stop hugging her .
Her face changed in anticipation of the score and there, looking first second and then third on the podium, she frowned and immediately congratulated the Chinese girls, Chenchen Guan and Xinjing Tang, who passed her.
Guan and Tang, with only 16 Y 18 years, they stayed with the pr Top places on the podium, but Biles was Biles … and for the public at the Tokyo gymnastics center – and those who cheered her on from home around the world – her return was golden.
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