Simone Biles made her highly anticipated return to competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, and she captured yet another piece of hardware. While it was not a gold medal, Biles said it was the most rewarding medal she has ever won.
Biles came in third and won the bronze medal in the individual balance beam final. She scored a 14.00, finishing behind Chinese gymnasts Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing. In an interview with TODAY after the competition, Biles said the bronze medal meant more to her than the four golds she won at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
“It means more than all the golds because I’ve pushed through so much the last five years and the last week while I’ve even been here,” Biles said. “It was very emotional, and I’m just proud of myself and just all of these girls, as well.”
Biles added that she was not concerned with winning a medal and was just happy she got to compete one more time in Tokyo. The fact that she performed well enough to win a medal after struggling mentally over the past week made it even more special.
“I don’t get to like embrace it yet, but I’m just proud I could go out there and compete one more time before the Olympics was over,” Biles said.
In doing so, Biles tied an Olympic record. She now has seven Olympic medals (four golds, a silver and two bronzes), which places her even with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals ever won by a U.S. gymnast.
Biles withdrew from the team all-around last Tuesday. She later revealed that she was “shaking” and could not focus leading up to the event. She then sat out the individual all-around and withdrew from two more events.
On Friday, Biles opened up about her “petrifying” mental block while answering questions from fans on social media.
