There used to be a time when Simone Biles would find “beauty in the blindness” ahead of the Olympics, reveling in not knowing what she didn’t know.
Those naive days are long gone for the 27-year-old gymnastics superstar. The evidence isn’t just on her driver’s license or marriage certificate but in how Biles can now see far beyond herself and her own pursuit of greatness.
Champion Supporting Champion
The defining moment of Biles’ record 9th national all-around title on Sunday night didn’t involve any of her trademark twists or soaring releases. It was a simple walk across the floor to console and support her friend Sunisa Lee after a scary vault fall.
Lee, the 2020 Olympic champion, spun awkwardly in the air and crashed hard on her back. “I was thinking this was over,” said a shaken Lee. That’s when Simone Biles appeared at her side, unprompted, knowing exactly what Lee needed in that traumatizing moment.
“I know how traumatizing it is, especially on a big stage like this,” Biles explained later. “And I didn’t want her to get in her head, so we just talked about it.”
The two stepped off the floor, with Biles reminding the struggling Lee that she “could do hard things.” When they returned, Biles cheered Lee on as she rebounded with a brilliant 14.500 uneven bars routine to finish a promising 4th overall.
“I know I was having a hard time, but she was just there to help lift me up,” said Lee, grateful for Biles’ support.
Vintage Biles Performance
While helping others has become deeply meaningful, Biles hasn’t lost her incredible gymnastic abilities. In front of her husband, Jonathan Owens, and an adoring crowd, she put on a virtuoso four-event display of athleticism, precision, and trademark swagger.
Biles finished with the highest scores on every event over the two-day competition, doing so at nationals for only the second time in her storied career (also 2018). Her only misstep came on vault when she drastically overcompensated on her historic Yurchenko double pike, generating too much power and landing on her back.
She still scored 15,000 for the near-impossible vault no other woman has completed in competition. The minor stumble didn’t faze Biles, who followed it up with a 15.1 Cheng vault, claiming her 9th national title by a wide margin. No other American gymnast has won more than 7 national titles.
Looking Ahead to Paris
With her Olympic team spot secure, Biles seems most excited about the future of her five younger World Champions Centre teammates who will join her at the Olympic trials in Minneapolis this month.
“That’s what excites me, because I think they have long careers ahead of them,” said Biles. “So if I can do anything to help them, right now and in the future, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Biles is well aware of the massive spotlight awaiting in Paris and wants to guide the next generation on navigating that intense pressure, something she’s become an expert at through regular therapy.
The Olympic Trials Scene
While Biles stands alone atop the podium, there is heated competition for the other four Olympic team spots that will join her in Paris as strong medal contenders looking to improve on their 2nd place Tokyo finish.
Skye Blakely, 19, continued her impressive rise, while Tokyo Olympians Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey are also in the mix despite beam falls on Sunday. In her first elite meet following her Olympic victory, Sunisa Lee placed fourth overall, which gave her confidence.
Shilese Jones, considered America’s best all-around gymnast outside of Biles, withdrew Friday due to injury but said she plans to compete at trials. Rising 18-year-old Kaliya Lincoln also deals with an injury after Friday’s opening session.
If healthy, Jones and Lincoln would be serious candidates to make the Paris team, along with Biles, whose 2024 Olympic ticket seems all but punched based on her continued, unparalleled dominance.
