It was the US superstar’s first taste of competition in Tokyo since dramatically standing down during the women’s team final last week, struggling with the “twisties”, a condition meaning gymnasts lose the ability to orientate themselves in mid-air.The four-time gold medallist from the Rio Games received a huge cheer from her US teammates when she entered the arena.
Another cheer rang out when the stadium announcer said: “And now, representing the United States….Simone Biles..”She looked pensive on her comeback as she waited for her turn to climb up onto the 10cm wide beam for her 90-second routine. Peeling off her US Team red tracksuit, she practised her dance moves in her star-spangled banner leotard as she waited for her turn as the third to perform.
Wiping her brow, she approached the beam, chalked up, and finally got the wheels back on her derailed Olympic campaign.While avoiding any twists incorporated in her favoured and most difficult moves, she put in a solid performance, ending with a double backward somersault, double pike dismount.
She's a winner on an off the competition surface.