Looks Like Biles Will Make One More Olympics Showing

Gymnast set to appear in balance beam finals on Tuesday, though she could still withdraw
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 2, 2021 6:02 AM CDT
Looks Like Biles Will Make One More Olympics Showing
Simone Biles, of the United States, waits to perform on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's final at the Summer Olympics on Tuesday in Tokyo.   (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A week after we last saw her compete, Simone Biles will return to the Olympic stage. After pulling out of team competition finals and four individual events—all-around, floor, uneven bars, and vault—to take care of her mental health, saying she was struggling with the "twisties," the 24-year-old gymnast is set to take part in the balance beam finals on Tuesday, reports Axios. "We are so excited to confirm that you will see two US athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow - Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!!," tweeted USA Gymnastics on Monday. "Can't wait to watch you both!" Per ESPN, Biles came home with a bronze from that event in 2016's Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Her name on Tuesday's roster doesn't mean we'll actually see her on the beam—Yahoo Sports notes that, if Biles doesn't feel OK right before the competition, there's still a chance she could pull out at the last minute. The site adds that balance beam isn't Biles' strong suit, but she's not knocking any other athlete out by competing: Sunisa Lee, who won gold last week in the women's all-around finals, is the only other US athlete to qualify. Since Biles' revelation of her battle with the twisties, in which a gymnast can't tell whether they're up or down while in the air, other gymnasts have disclosed their own struggles with the condition and offered support for Biles' decision to withdraw from the various events in Tokyo. (More Simone Biles stories.)

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