The American women's gymnastic team won silver at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, even after their star athlete pulled out of the competition. Simone Biles shocked the sporting world by withdrawing from the final after it had already started, later explaining she wasn't in a good place mentally to execute her signature difficult and dangerous moves. The greatest gymnast in history cheered on her teammates in their remaining events from the sidelines, while Jordan Chiles took her place on the balance beam and uneven bars.
At 24, Biles faces challenges that didn't plague her five years ago, when she won four gold medals (and one bronze) at the 2016 Rio Olympics. A month ago, after a couple of uncharacteristic errors at the U.S. gymnastics trials, some speculated she was injured. "I’m just old," she explained. "I’m always in pain. Something always hurts." Biles might be "getting old" for a gymnast, but she's still incredibly good at the sport. Even on a bad day, she outstrips the competition. At the U.S. trials, she was heard saying "those sucked" and "I want to die" after subpar performances on the vault and the balance beam. She placed second anyway. But Biles is under immense pressure to maintain G.O.A.T. status, and it sounds like she's really hard on herself.
