Biles celebrated her success in an Instagram story, sharing video of her historic vault, which she stunned national audiences with over the summer, along with a blue heart emoji.
The feat marked Biles’ first international competition since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, with the athlete returning to the city where she won her first world title a decade ago at age 16. In the years since, she has gone on to claim eight national titles, 25 world medals and seven Olympic medals.
Biles’ two-year hiatus came after the world champion sparked a national conversation around mental health when she spoke out about her difficulties grappling with the “twisties,” a spatial disorientation condition common in gymnastics, after pulling out of multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics.
Biles made clear she was ready for an international comeback in August when she claimed a record eighth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, a decade after her first national title.
“It’s really amazing. Everybody in here believes in me,” she said at the time. “So I just need to start believing in myself a little bit more, but it feels amazing and I love the fans, I love the crowd. It was really special.”
As she continues to inspire fans, Biles said she is bringing a new approach to the mat.
“I think we have to be a little bit more cautious about the way we do things,” she said in a recent interview with NBC’s “TODAY” show. “Everything that we’re doing leading up to [Paris 2024] is very intentional. We’ve kind of been playing it on the down-low this time, making sure mentally and physically are both intact.”
The gymnast is focused on “being intentional, going to therapy, and making sure everything is aligned so that [she] can do [her] best in the gym, be a good wife, good daughter, good friend, all the good things,” said Biles, who married NFL player Jonathan Owens earlier this year.
USA Gymnastics has also marked a shift in its approach, changing its leadership structure last year in a move that saw directorship divided between three people: former elite gymnasts Chellsie Memmel and Alicia Sacramone Quinn and longtime coach Dan Baker.
The move appeared to be part of an effort to change the power dynamics within the organization and focus on athletes’ well-being following the sentencing of U.S. national team doctor Larry Nassar to up to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing hundreds of gymnasts, including Biles.
Biles called for change while giving testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2021, saying she did not want “another young gymnast, or Olympic athlete, or any individual” to experience what she and others had.
Read the full article here