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“I had no idea where I was in the air,” Biles said in an interview on the “Today” show, speaking of her performance in a team event. “You can literally see it in my eyes in the pictures, like I was petrified.”
Biles, who won four gold medals and a bronze in the 2016 Olympics, went on to win bronze on the balance beam in Tokyo, a medal that meant “more than all the golds, because I’ve pushed through so much the last five years and the last week,” she said in a “Today” show interview.
The experience, she said, allowed her to realize that she is “more than my medals in gymnastics. I’m a human being, and I’ve done some courageous things outside of this sport,” she said in the interview.
“I don’t think, if this situation didn’t happen, I would have never seen it that way,” she said.
After four Olympic golds and 19 world championship titles, the 24-year-old has brought about a wider discussion on the mental health challenges facing top-performing athletes, an amazing feat in itself.
What’s next for this extraordinary young woman?
Rest and therapy
Biles’ coach, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, said the star athlete is “openly talking about therapy, and that’s what she’s going to go through.”
Some much-deserved R&R also looks to be in Biles’ future.
The Gold Over America Tour
She and other star gymnasts, including Laurie Hernandez and Jordan Chiles, will be touring 35 cities throughout the United States to celebrate female athletes.
“I love the sport of gymnastics and wanted to help create a show that celebrates the pure joy of performing,” Biles said in announcing the tour.
Paris in 2024?
Will Biles compete in the Paris Olympics in 2024?
“I just need to process this whole thing first,” she said at a news conference in Tokyo when asked that question.
Later, in an interview on the “Today” show, she said she’s “keeping the door open” to the Paris games.
Her coaches are French, and Biles in the past has indicated she might compete there to honor them.
Coaching, of course, is another possibility down the line.