This year, the Olympics have presented stories of perseverance, resilience, redemption, and more. Several athletes have been coming forward with their accounts of struggles and overcoming them to fulfill their goals.
One of these happened to be the story of Simone Biles and how the Paris Olympics was her one chance to prove her worth to herself. During her second Olympics in Tokyo, Biles went through immense pressure and a lot of personal trauma before the international games.
As a result, she suffered from a grave mind-body dissociative condition called ‘Twisties’. This was a threat to her physical and mental well-being as it could’ve resulted in fatal injuries during moves.
Therefore, she decided she was better off quitting midway, which, while saving her life, did not go down well with several gymnastics fans. For the longest time, many criticized her move, calling it selfish and cowardly.
But Biles pressed on and gradually moved on to hoping for a redemption tour for herself and her teammates. That’s why Team USA deemed the Paris Olympics to be their comeback of the season, with the iconic gymnast breaking barriers in several ways.
During the trials when she was set to qualify, things got emotional towards the end, and Biles was left almost teary-eyed out of joy. In a resurfaced video from the USA Gymnastics trials, someone captured the GOAT gymnast hugging fellow teammate and good friend Jordan Chiles.
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Together, they’ve been each other’s support systems for the longest time and happened to qualify for the Paris Olympics together.
“Simone+Jordan have a moment before making the Paris Olympics…”
This has been an emotional season for Biles, who battled severe mental health struggles, and Chiles, who had to prove her strength on the floor routines to get the team on top.
Eventually, the five-member star team won several individual and team gold in Paris. Looking back at the video and posting it on her Instagram story, Biles recalled how they all overcame their hurdles in their own ways to make it to the top.
“we’ve come so far”
But that wasn’t the only reason why the US gymnastics team stole hearts across the world this season. Their sportsmanship, of all their qualities, was a class apart and immediately got their competitors’ respect and awe.
Display of unity and sportsmanship by Biles and Chiles
Team USA shared the podium with Team Italy and Team Brazil in the Artistic Gymnastics Team Finals – both of whom received equal cheers and respect from the gold medal winners.
Recently, at the individual floor routine competition, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade beat Biles by a narrow margin. And unlike what crowds would expect during such rivalries, both the icon and her teammate, Chiles, bowed down to the gold medalist on the podium as a sign of respect.
Competitions constantly evolve to be more inclusive and respectful. But what makes sports more enjoyable to witness is moments like the ones Biles and her teammates created that promote friendship beyond the borders.
