Simone Biles will return to the Tokyo Olympics to compete in the balance beam final on Tuesday.
The four-time Olympic gymnast is coming back after pulling from five events citing her mental health.
“We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow—Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!!” USA Gymnastics tweeted. “Can’t wait to watch you both!”
Biles was projected to sweep the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but after a struggle with “the twisties” a dangerous condition in which gymnasts “lose their sense of space and dimension in midair,” Biles withdrew from the team competition, individual all-around, uneven bars, vault and the floor exercise.
“Literally cannot tell up from down,” she explained in an Instagram Story on Friday. “It’s the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body. What’s even scarier is since I have no idea where I am in the air I also have NO idea how I’m going to land, or what I’m going to land on. Head/hands/feet/back.”
She continued, “I also have no idea how I landed on my feet on that vault because if you look at the pictures and my eyes you can see how confused I am as to where I am in the air. Thankfully I landed safe enough but I also don’t think some of you realize I was supposed to do a 2 1/2 and I only completed 1 1/2 twists before it looks like I got shot out of the air.”
Simone Biles is seemingly in a better head space since she’s gearing up to participate in the balance beam final tomorrow.
