Simon Biles, 26, has a lot of merit and a problem.
After two years of missing from the sports field, after leaving the back door of the Tokyo Olympic Games in the summer of 2021 (postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic), the most successful gymnast in the United States, with seven Olympic medals ( four gold) and 25 in world championships (19 gold), returned to compete this Saturday in Chicago. Piece of expectation for a minority practice.
Thus it is understood that the cameras made a special marking. This allowed us to closely observe his magnificent performance, crack, and also his tremendous yawn, perhaps from sleep, you know, the nerves of the return, or simply because of a point of boredom. She won without breaking a sweat, more than 5,000 points ahead of the second, Leanne Wong.
Did Simone Biles ever leave?
Paraphrasing Mark Twain, the news of his retirement is more than premature. A lot. Without a doubt, if something became clear on this evening, it is that Paris 2024 is in his personal browser and that, if nothing goes wrong, it will be one of the great favourites. Her superiority continues to be overwhelming, among veterans who have been with her for years as among the new generation. “My heart melts to see that people still believe in me,” she said emotionally at the end of her show. “I am very happy with the result, with the fervor of the public after everything that has happened, with what happened in Tokyo,” she stressed.
“Welcome” read on some posters that her fans displayed in a packed pavilion, everything sold out, no doubt to see her and also Sunisa Lee, the athlete who came to the rescue in Tokyo and who also reappeared.
Biles’ journey from the Japanese capital to the city of Illinois has been much longer than the 10,000 kilometers that separate the two points on the map.
He went to the Asian country to magnify his legend. She was the big favorite in everything. She came home with a bronze, in the vault, and thank you. Total failure. A mental block prevented him from contesting her options at the highest level. Her stamp of defeat raised fears that this was the end of her career.
Well, it’s going to be no. In April she married football player Jonathan Owens (“Come on, Mrs. Owens,” they were sporting some banners in Chicado) and her life seems to have taken a turn for the worse.
The starting point of this comeback came on the uneven bars. Her performance, which has already put her in the lead, earned praise from commentators. It was only the beginning. On the balance beam she did another art demonstration. She extended her advantage.
And the floor exercise arrived, a practice that aroused delirium among the audience due to its pirouettes, its technique and its difficulty. It seems more than difficult to understand how you can fly like that and land like nothing without breaking your neck. At the end of his exercise, he did not hide his satisfaction. She knew that she was still the queen. “Welcome Simon Biles! It’s awesome to see you competing again,” proclaimed the broadcast host.
The icing was missing, the jumping horse, one of its specialties, and it did not disappoint. According to calculations, she flew about 4.5 meters and landed on the mat without shaking. “You were and continue to be the best, Simone Biles has not gone anywhere,” proclaimed the commentator amid the delight of the audience and the congratulations of colleagues, especially Kayla DiCello, a 2021 medalist and a real bombshell. of animation.
Even Biles couldn’t suppress his joy. Once his feet touched the ground, she broke into a dance, as if releasing all the tension of the night and the months before. “It’s a celebration that I always do in the gym every time it landed, I know it amuses my teammates,” she explained as if she had to justify herself.
In the stands, Ronald and Nellie, her adoptive parents, kissed when they saw that their daughter has overcome the trauma. They are his main fans. “I continue with my weekly therapy, but I am very encouraged with my return, with the support of my fans and I am sorry that I lost all this for a while,” she stressed. She made a promise: “I’m going to keep working.” Nothing is free.
