Olympics
Biles Returns to Olympic Competition, Wins Bronze on Beam
Even with a lower degree of difficulty than originally planned, she earned third place, behind Chinese teammates Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing.
Simone Biles competes in the women's balance beam final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Aug. 3.
Photographer: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Tokyo (AP) -- Simone Biles isn't going home with a fistful of gold medals. A mental block — one brought on by exhaustion or stress or something the American gymnastics star still can't quite grasp — that forced her to pull out of four Olympic finals saw to that.
Yet standing on the podium Tuesday, a bronze medal hanging around her neck and tears in her eyes, the 24-year-old Biles may have claimed something far more valuable: a piece of herself back.