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Simone Biles is back and ready for a shot at redemption in Paris.
Biles, who is already the most decorated gymnast in American history, is set to compete in her third Olympics this summer in France. The four-time gold medal winner and 23-time World champion is sure to be one of the most popular athletes in the Games this year, especially after her struggles in Tokyo three years ago.
Biles, now 27, has an opportunity to solidify her legacy in what could very well be her final Olympics. Before that happens, though, let’s take a look back at her past Olympics performances.
2016 Rio Olympics
Biles was too young to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London, so she had to wait until Brazil four years later. By the time she appeared in those Games, Biles had already won two gold medals at the Antwert Championship and eight World Championships golds. Then in Rio, she absolutely dominated while helping Team USA to an All-Around gold. That, of course, helped kickstart her historic gymnastics career and put her among the most famous American Olympians of all time.
Biles won the individual All-Around title and won gold on the vault and the floor exercise. She also won the bronze medal in the balance beam. That haul made Biles — who was just 19 years old at the time — one of four female gymnasts to win four gold medals in a single Games.
2020 Tokyo Olympics
While Biles continued to dominate and win plenty of medals and titles in the years that followed her Olympics start, her performance in Tokyo did not go as expected.
Biles struggled in the Japan Games, and then stunned everyone when she pulled out of the team competition and the all-around final due to the “twisties.” She said later that she “had no idea where I was in the air,” which made things incredibly dangerous even for someone as talented as Biles.
Biles eventually returned and won the bronze medal on the balance beam. Team USA won a silver team medal, too, in what was a largely disappointing outing in the COVID-19 delayed Games. That’s stuck with Biles and the rest of the team ever since.
“We all have more to give,” Biles said on Thursday, via The Washington Post. “And our Tokyo performances weren’t the best. We weren’t under the best circumstances, either. But I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that we’re better athletes.”
Bouncing back after the ‘twisties’
Though Tokyo was disappointing, Biles appears to be back to her old self in the lead up to the Paris Olympics.
Biles led Team USA to the team title at the World Gymnastics Championships last fall, which helped her win The Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year award. She also won a record ninth all-around title at the U.S. gymnastics championships earlier this year, where she won gold on all four apparatuses and was nearly perfect throughout the entire competition. She’s the first gymnast, man or woman, to win nine all-around national titles. Biles is the oldest person to win that championship, too.
Biles will start in qualification events on Sunday, July 28.
Source Agencies
