Simone Biles Wins Bronze Medal In Balance Beam Competition At Tokyo Olympics, Aunt Died Just Days Before

Simone Biles Wins Bronze Medal In Balance Beam Competition At Tokyo Olympics, Aunt Died Just Days Before

Update #1 (Aug. 3): Simone Biles won a bronze medal at the balance beam final for the Tokyo Olympics, just days after losing her aunt.

Simone Biles, who is reportedly the most decorated gymnast of all time, returned to the competition after taking a break last week to focus on her mental health. As she was on hiatus from the Olympic games, she got word that her aunt on her father’s side passed away.

Her coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi said,

“That was another one, I was like, ‘…This week needs to be over.’ I asked her what do you need. And she said, ‘I just need some time.’ I said, ‘You call me, text me if you need anything I’ll be here. Whatever that is.’ She called her parents. She said, ‘There’s nothing I can do from over here. So I’m just going to finish my week and when I get home we’ll deal with it.'”

Simone Biles ultimately joined the games in the balance beam final, coming in third after China’s Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing. Her fellow Team USA member Sunisa Lee took fourth place after scoring a gold, silver, and bronze medal at previous Olympic events.

 

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Simone Biles confessed after her win,

“I didn’t expect a medal today, I just wanted to go out there for me and that’s what I did.”

She now has seven Olympic medals across the span of her Olympic career (4 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze)

She continued and said this win is “definitely sweeter”, stating,

“I’ll treasure this one a lot more after everything I have been through.”

She added,

“I was proud of myself just to go out there after what I’ve been through.”

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As for whether she’ll take on the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Simone Biles said it wasn’t completely out of the question, but has other priorities for the moment.

“I have to process this Olympics before I think about Paris. Right now I’m going to focus on myself a little bit more often rather than push stuff under the rug.”

Original Story: Fans of Simone Biles will soon get the opportunity to see her in action in the gymnastics’ balance beam competition!

The U.S. gymnastics team made the announcement earlier today (Monday, August 2nd) tweeting

“We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow – Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!”

This will be the first event that Simone Biles partakes in following her withdrawal from other events at the Tokyo Olympics.

As previously reported, Simone Biles pulled out of the gymnastics all-around final Olympic event this past Tuesday (July 27th). The athlete withdrew from the final competition for mental health reasons and denied claims of quitting due to her performance. Simone Biles has received mixed feedback for her decision.

However, in spite of her earlier decision, Simone Biles will be back again as she competes in the women’s balance beam event final. 

This event will be Simone Biles‘ final opportunity to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. However, she did technically win a medal when her team won silver after she pulled out of the all-around gymnastics event.

What do you think about Simone Biles’ decision to participate in the women’s balance beam final at the Tokyo Olympics? Comment down below to let us know!