'I did it for me': Simone Biles shows tremendous courage to win Olympic beam bronze


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

Simone Biles ended her tumultuous Tokyo Olympics experience on a high note as she returned to competition to win bronze in the balance beam competition on Tuesday.

The final gold of the women's artistic gymnastics programme went to China's Guan Chenchen with a score of 14.633 and the silver to her compatriot Tang Xijing, but it was Biles who grabbed the spotlight by courageously returning to competition following struggles with her mental health.

"I was proud of myself just to go out there after what I've been through," said Biles, who arrived in Tokyo having already won four golds and a bronze in Rio five years ago.

"This one is definitely sweeter. I'll treasure this one a lot more after everything I have been through."

The American, 24, had withdrawn from five of six events in Tokyo as she struggled to overcome a severe bout of "the twisties" - a condition that afflicts gymnasts leaving them disoriented during their gravity-defying sequences.

A three-time world champion on the beam, Biles' bronze - a repeat of the medal she won at Rio 2016 - was considered a victory after a dramatic Tokyo Games in which she abruptly dropped out of the team competition last Tuesday after performing just one vault citing mental health issues.

The 24-year-old came to Tokyo eyeing a record haul of six golds, which would have made her the most successful female Olympian of all-time across any sport, but instead suffered a crisis of confidence that led to her withdrawing from the all-around, vault, asymmetric bars and floor exercise finals.

"I was just happy to be able to perform regardless of the outcome. I did it for me and I was proud of myself for being able to compete one more time," said Biles, who revealed her aunt died two days ago.

"Just to have one more opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games meant the world.

"Training for five years and then coming here, and then kind of being triggered and not being able to do anything, it wasn't fun."

A visibly relaxed Biles blew kisses to the television cameras as she entered the arena for her final shot at a medal.

After a quick hug from her coach and deep breath, Biles stepped up to the beam with a look of determination, although shorn of the imperialism that had seen her win a record 25 world championship medals, including 19 golds, as well as four Olympic golds and a bronze at Rio 2016.

Biles showcased several complex skills with a triple spin in the squat position. But as she prepared to get ready for her dismount, everyone held their breath willing the American to make a safe landing.

She did just that, pulling off a double-piked somersault dismount, much to the delight of those in the arena, in Tokyo and probably the rest of the world.

She broke out into a huge smile and clutched her heart as soon as she completed her routine before performing a delightful jig after hugging her coach.

Her routine earned the triple world champion on the apparatus 14.000 points.

"I had nerves but I felt pretty good," she said.

"I was a little bit nervous for the dismount just because we had to switch it and I probably haven't done a double pike dismount since I was 12 years old, so it was kind of hard to control that.

"But to go out there and compete one more time and have everybody's support meant the world.

It takes Biles' Olympic medal collection to seven, equalling Shannon Miller's record for an American gymnast. She may have missed out on a shot at becoming the greatest female Olympian, but Biles arguably achieved something even greater just by competing again.

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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history

Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)

Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.

 

Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)

A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.

 

Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)

Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.

 

Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)

Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.

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Fireball

Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.

A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.

"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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Updated: August 03, 2021, 12:04 PM`