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Tokyo 2020 | Gymnastics: Biles’ retirement gave Russia team gold

Simone Biles. / Loic Venance (Afp)

As soon as he started on the colt, the American star left the competition after a bad fall, but his surprising march has triggered speculation about an anxiety problem

Surprise at the Tokyo Olympics. As the world prepared to start watching the recital of American superstar Simone Biles, who was aiming for six golds, her withdrawal in the first minute allowed Russia to win the artistic gymnastics team final. Under the name of its Olympic committee, the Russian team has ended the hegemony of the US, which has to settle for silver while the United Kingdom takes the bronze medal.

There was much expectation to see if the American Simone Biles, the greatest figure in gymnastics of the last decades, began to open her medal table in search of a historical record. But all hopes were thrown into the air as soon as he started, when Biles retired from the final just after his first jump on the colt. After a very powerful run that raised her with a double corkscrew jump, she fell badly on the mat sinking too much and taking a step forward when she could not nail the landing.

He then hugged one of the coaches and left the court, heading safely to the medicine cabinet. After several minutes she reappeared with her right leg bandaged and, after hugging with some of her companions, she put on her tracksuit. Although 24-year-old Biles has remained on the court cheering for his team, the USA had to go through the final without her, diminishing their chances of victory because of the power shown by the Russian gymnasts.

The surprising withdrawal of Biles, who was so much expected at these Games, immediately triggered all the speculation. As NBC broadcast live, his departure was not due to injury, but due to a mental issue. Shortly thereafter, the US Athletics Federation confirmed that Biles was withdrawing due to “medical problems,” but without specifying whether they were physical or psychological.

Despite the exit from the final, which deprived her of her goal of fighting for six golds in these Games, Biles did not seem disappointed. Encouraging her companions, who made up for their absence with the wonderful performances of Jordan Chiles and Sunisa Lee, she laughed and even danced to the music in the Ariake Pavilion. Although there was no public due to the coronavirus restrictions, both the team and the large American delegation in the stands applauded as if they were full. But, without it, the Russians were intractable and were ultimately victorious.

Now we have to see what happens to Simone Biles and how her withdrawal affects the rest of her participation in the Games. Following her ranking failures, she wrote a disturbing message on Instagram that would reveal her anxiety: “Sometimes I think I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I know I shake it off and make it look like the pressure doesn’t affect me, but it’s damn hard. The Olympics are not a joke.

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