Simone Biles won the bronze medal in the balance beam competition on Tuesday, scoring another medal for Team USA after stepping aside from several Tokyo Olympics competitions for mental health-related reasons.
Biles, 24, received a score of 14.000 after she moved with barely any wobbles on the beam, falling just behind Guan Chenchen’s gold-winning score of 14.633 and Tang Xijing’s 14.233, both of China.
The top USA gymnast received congratulations all across social media following the event, both for the comeback after withdrawing from previous events and for making history by tying the record for the most Olympic medals won by a gymnast from the United States. She now shares the title with Shannon Miller with seven medals.
“It’s been a very long week, it’s been a very long five years,” Biles said following the event. “I didn’t expect a medal today. I just wanted to go out there and do this for me, and that’s exactly what I did.”
SIMONE BILES TO COMPETE IN BALANCE BEAM FINAL
Making history. Always. @Simone_Biles ties the record for the most Olympic medals won by a U.S. gymnast. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/4lXZ6waUeQ
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 3, 2021
After withdrawing during the team gymnastics final on July 27, Biles pulled out of several other competitions, including the individual all-around and uneven bars finals on July 31, raising concerns that she could be finished with the 2020 Olympics.
The announcement of her initial withdrawal sparked a larger conversation about the importance of mental health in athletes performing “dangerous” feats, as Biles described on Friday, also stating that “physical health is mental health.”
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Biles said she would “cherish” her bronze win on Tuesday even more than her past wins of four gold medals due to her tumultuous Olympics experience this year.
“I would like to dedicate it to all Team USA for helping me and reaching out and supporting me. It’s just meant the world,” Biles added.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics opened on July 23 and will conclude on Aug. 8.
