![]() Chiles scored a 14.166 on bars and a 13.433 on beam. So she called on Chiles to fill in for her on bars and beam and Lee to step in on floor. “So I thought it was better to take a step back and let these other girls do the job. “I didn't want to go into any of the other events not believing in myself,” Biles said. There is no manager who comes to the pitching mound in gymnastics. “I am not going to lose a medal for this country and these girls because they’ve worked way too hard to have me go out there and lose a medal.” “I was like, ‘I am not in the right headspace,’” Biles said. Only three other gymnasts, and none who competed on the top six teams, scored lower. In a sport where winning and losing can come down to one-tenth, let alone one one-hundredth of a point, Biles was 1.2 points below what she put up in qualifying. Instantly, Biles knew she couldn’t compete any longer.īiles received 13.766, a painfully low score in elite gymnastics. Of the 42 women who competed Tuesday, only one attempted an easier vault. The Yurchenko 1.5 is a basic vault, a 5.0 degree of difficulty that is comically pedestrian at this level. Her teammates were so stunned that they covered their mouths. This is somewhat akin to a baseball pitcher thinking he was going to throw a fastball but instead throwing a curveball. “I was trying to do a two and a half but that was not clicking.” Simone Biles knew something was not right “I did not choose to do a one and a half,” Biles said. On her vault she attempted to perform a Yurchenko with 2.5 twists, except she was so out of it that she managed only 1.5 twists. For Biles, the inability to concentrate was obvious. A lack of focus is as dangerous as a busted-up ankle. Some will dismiss mental health issues, but gymnastics, in particular, is a sport that requires the mind as much as the body. Team USA won silver in the artistic Women's Team Final. However, Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time, was anything but good in her one vault attempt. “I have to put my pride aside,” she thought. While it would no doubt have been better for all if Biles had determined this prior to the start of competition, she said she felt good heading to the gym before trying to power through. However, there is a distinction in sports between just walking away and acknowledging when, for whatever reason, you are either incapable of continuing or your performance is hurting the team - like a player testing out a knee and realising he can’t go or the pulling of a hockey goalie who is letting in too many shots. After all, she decided to stop competing. There is no denying that Biles “quit" by some definitions of the word. But the world's most prominent gymnast has deemed that course of action insufficient.While some have slammed Biles as a quitter who let her USA teammates down, there is a compelling argument that the gymnast's decision actually gave Team USA a chance to win the silver medal that they may not have otherwise. Biles and other gymnasts impacted by Nassar's abuse are currently engaged in a civil suit against USAG, which has offered a $217 million settlement to be split amongst Nassar's 500+ victims. Come on."Īccording to a year-plus Senate investigation, USAG - in conjunction with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee - "knowingly concealed" Nassar's abuse. to the best of our ability, and all the time, most of the time, every time I've represented, come back with gold medals. "And the hardest part for us is we've always done our part. "We can't feel comfortable promoting our sport if we fear that something might happen like this again because they're not doing their part," Biles said. She has repeatedly called for an independent investigation of USAG's handling of the Nassar case so that those impacted can learn "why it happened, when it happened, and who knew what, when." ![]() In speaking with Vogue, Biles described her discontent with USAG's apparent lack of interest in thoroughly investigating how the system broke down to endanger so many of America's top gymnasts. ![]() ![]() Another year of dealing with USAG. That, I don't know if I can take." We were gripping at the bars, and I just started crying. "Obviously it was the right decision, but to have it finalized - in a way, you feel defeated because you've worked so hard. "I felt kind of torn and broken," Biles said regarding the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics - which were initially scheduled for summer of 2020. In a recent interview with Vogue, Simone Biles described the dread she feels about competing under USA Gymnastics for an additional year. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |