(Dan Tri) – Once a victim of sexual abuse in the US gymnastics team, Simone Biles rose from adversity to glory and is now experiencing her final peak days at the Olympics.
Before Simone Biles appeared, the US had never been highly regarded in gymnastics. This sport was almost exclusively the playground of China, Japan and some Eastern European countries (Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary, etc.).
But the Americans trained Simone Biles, before she made the greatest contribution to helping the US gymnastics transform and rise to the position of a powerhouse in this sport at the Olympics.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, when she was only 19 years old, Simone Biles stunned the world by winning 4 gold medals (HCV) in Gymnastics and a bronze medal (HCĐ).
5 years later, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (Olympics 2020 actually takes place in 2021), Simone Biles continues to be the center of attention at the Olympics and the world, in Gymnastics. However, this time she became the center of attention in a different way.
Simone Biles bravely stood up to denounce the sexual abuse scandals in the US Gymnastics team, in which she was one of the victims.
Also at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, after the above-mentioned sexual abuse scandals were widely reported by the media on a global scale, Simone Biles suddenly refused to compete in 5 events for the US Gymnastics team.
That is the reason why Simone Biles did not win any gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she only had one silver medal and one bronze medal, and the US team could not win a high position.
It was not until the 2024 Paris Olympics that Simone Biles returned to her true self. Up to now, Simone Biles has contributed to all 3 gold medals (women’s team, women’s all-around and women’s vault) that the US Gymnastics won at this year’s Olympics, along with another silver medal (floor exercise).
The US gymnastics team is leading the Paris Olympics. However, at the peak of glory, there are some signs that Simone Biles is starting to cross the other side of her career.
In the floor exercise event where Simone Biles won silver on the evening of August 5, she made a mistake when she stepped over the limit line when landing after a somersault. That is the reason why the American girl lost points and lost the gold medal.
Not only that, in the balance beam event also on the evening of August 5, Simone Biles fell off the beam, a rare mistake for an athlete at the highest level in the world like Simone Biles. She also lost the medal in this event.
These are mistakes that partly reflect the age and focus that Simone Biles has gradually lost. At 27 years old, the 2024 Paris Olympics could be her last Olympics.
Unlike many other sports, in gymnastics, it is difficult for athletes to maintain their peak performance after the age of 30, due to the “aging” of bones and muscle groups, leading to a significant decrease in their flexibility and agility.
Therefore, it is hard to believe that in the Olympics 4 years from now, Simone, at the age of 31, will still be at the top of the world gymnastics. But no matter what, the name Simone Biles will still be in the history of American gymnastics in particular, and the history of world gymnastics in general.
She is the one who completely changed the face of American gymnastics, inspiring many American children to practice and compete in gymnastics, with the belief that American gymnastics can absolutely win an Olympic gold medal.
Simone Biles herself can close her glorious career with a total of 7 Olympic gold medals, 2 silver medals and 2 bronze medals, along with 23 world gold medals, 4 silver medals and 3 bronze medals. An impressive achievement!
