Ready to return to action, after making peace with the twisties that plagued her.
Simone Biles, 26, the great queen of American gymnastics, the most successful, seven-time Olympic medalist, among many other successes, returns this Saturday to compete on behalf of her club, the World Champion Center.
The appointment is in Chicago and plans to participate in all four competitions. She seemed like she would never compete again, but here she is again this little woman giant in endurance and perseverance, not just on vault, floor, uneven bars or balance. No, she managed to reach the top despite the trauma of being one of the hundreds of athletes sexually assaulted by the federation's doctor, Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to life in prison for the denunciations of Biles and many other colleagues. .
The last time she was seen in action was at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021 as their date was postponed due to the pandemic. She arrived in the Japanese capital with the halo of top favorite, waiting to break records. But Biles sank. He withdrew from two finals and was well below his level due to psychological problems, as she explained in desolation. He assured that he suffered "mental block" when doing the twisties or turns in the air, the routine somersaults.
His failure caused many, especially those who disliked his shiny black skin, to feed on his failure. His successes, nothing like it in the history of this practice in the US, did not prevent the insults.
Although she did not say so, many thought that she had retired and was starting a new life outside of gyms. This past spring she married Jonathan Owens, a football player.
However, with a year to go before the Paris games, which is interpreted as a declaration of intent, Biles will be tested this weekend. Without great aspirations, he will try to see if his physique responds and can reach the level that allowed him to win four Olympic golds, including the so-called complete title in 2016, in Rio de Janeiro.
In principle, everything indicated that he would only participate in show jumping, a specialty that does not require as much training as other specialties. Analysts believe that Biles wants to prove himself. "No pressure, just enjoy the experience," said Cecile Landi, one of his trainers. Which doesn't stop his entry into competition from leading to the deduction that Biles still feels he's a force in national and international gymnastics.
“I was petrified, but I'm doing twisties again. Everything is going well, ”said the gymnast this week at a press conference on Instagram. “Although she has taken me over a year, I have already overcome the initial fear. It is a physical and mental issue, but I have overcome it, ”she stressed. At the moment she does not clarify if she would fight to qualify for Paris. Too soon.
