Despite the family tragedy, the 24-year-old artistic gymnast reportedly chooses to stay in Tokyo to compete in the balance beam final and will deal with her grief once she gets home.
- Aug 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - Simone Biles clearly had a rough week during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Just two days before she made a return to compete in the balance beam final, it was reported that the artistic gymnast's aunt on her father's side "unexpectedly passed."
Revealing the sad news was Simone's coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi. "I was like, 'Oh my God. This week needs to be over,' " Cecile told reporters on Tuesday, August 3. "I asked her what do you need. And she said, 'I just need some time.' "
"I said, 'You call me, text me if you need anything I'll be here. Whatever that is.' She called her parents," the coach went on recalling. "She said, 'There's nothing I can do from over here. So I'm just going to finish my week and when I get home we'll deal with it.' "
Simone, meanwhile, told the press that she has kept in touch with her family despite not being able to go home. "I was FaceTiming with my family. They had a little watch party at the house. It was my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister-in-law, my godparents," she explained.
"They just wanted to say hi and stuff like that. But given the time change, they're 14 hours behind so usually at night, I'll FaceTime them or in the morning," the 24-year-old continued. "Almost every day I've gotten to talk to them which has been nice and reassuring."
Before Simone returned to the Olympic competition on Tuesday, she withdrew from all of her previous individual events. Aside from mental health concerns, she claimed that she had "the twisties", a condition when gymnasts lose air awareness and endanger their safety. Due to the "twisties," she revealed that her "mind and body [weren't] in sync."
Luckily, Simone won bronze in the balance beam final after receiving a score of 14.000 on Tuesday night. It was the seventh Olympic medal for Simone, meaning that she has matched Shannon Miller as the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast ever.
