That’s all for today. Thanks as always for following along and be sure to check out our full report.
Biles: 'We're not just entertainment'
Biles says it “sucked” to pull out of four of the five event finals she qualified for. But she is grateful to have had the opportunity to bring the topic of mental health to the fore.
“I think it should be talked about a lot more, especially with athletes, because I know some of us are going through the same things and we’re always told to push through it,” she says. “But we’re all a little bit older now and we can kind of speak for ourselves. At the end of the day, we’re not just entertainment, we’re humans and there are things going on behind the scenes that we’re also trying to juggle with as well on top of sports.”
She continues: “I honestly wasn’t even expecting to medal on beam. I just was trying to go out there and hit a good beam set and compete one more time at this Olympic games because I qualified for all five finals, but then I pulled out. So it just – it sucked. But I was excited to be in the stands and cheering for all of Team USA.”
Asked who she was FaceTiming on the arena floor after today’s beam final, Biles says it was her family back in Texas.
“They had a little watch party at the house, so it was my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister-in-law, my godparents,” she says. “They just wanted to say hi and stuff like that. But given the time change, they’re 14 hours behind. Usually at night I’ll FaceTime them or in the morning. So almost every day I’ve gotten to talk to them, which has been really nice and reassuring.”
“Just to have one more opportunity to compete at the Olympics meant the world to me,” says Biles in her opening statement at the post-final press conference. “To have these two next to me, they did absolutely amazing and I watched them train so hard. They are so deserving of one and two.”
Asked what she did to prepare for the final and get into the right headspace, Biles says that she went through daily medical evaluations in addition to two sessions with a sports psychologist from Team USA.
“I’ve been training beam every day,” she says. “We just last minute decided to switch the dismount, which I probably have not done since I was like 12 years old, because I’ve always twisted off and done a full in since I was probably 13 or 14. But on the beam, that work is easy. I’ve always been able to do it. It was just coming off. We didn’t know what we were going to do or compete in the final, because I had to pull out of all the other finals because of that reason.”
“It’s been a very long week, a very long five years,” Biles says. “I didn’t expect to medal today, I just wanted to go out and do it for me, and that’s what I did.”
She adds: “It definitely feels more special, this bronze, than the balance beam bronze at Rio. I will cherish it for a long time.”
Updated
Sunisa Lee won three medals in Tokyo, including silver in the team final and bronze on uneven bars. That puts her in great company on the all-time US leaderboard alongside Gabby Douglas, Carly Patterson and Amy Chow. Only Biles (seven), Shannon Miller (seven), Aly Raisman (six), Nastia Liukin (five), Shawn Johnson and Dominique Dawes (four apiece) have won more.
We’re still wondering how the 18-year-old Lee, who finished fifth, managed to right the ship after nearly falling on her beam set today. And it seems Lee is curious about that herself.
how did i save this 😭 https://t.co/FIVF94Thoh
— Sunisa lee (@sunisalee_) August 3, 2021
“I actually never expected that I would get a medal,” Guan says. “My coach said, ‘this is your first time in the Olympics and no one knows you so just go in and do your best’.”
She adds: “I actually started gymnastics much later than other people so I think this is a good result for me. Even though this competition is very tiring, I’m very happy with this result.”
Says Tang, who ensured China’s second 1-2 finish in the women’s beam (after London 2012): “I’m quite excited right now. I didn’t expect to get a medal before the competition, I just wanted to do my best, but I’m very happy with this performance.”
Simone Biles’ seventh Olympic medal puts her into a tie with Shannon Miller as the most decorated US Olympic gymnast ever. It also matches the bronze she won on the balance beam at the Rio Games five years ago.
Additionally, Biles becomes the 10th gymnast of the Tokyo Games to win multiple medals.
Updated
Guan wins gold ahead of Tang (silver) and Biles (bronze)!
Guan Chenchen of China, the top qualifier into today’s final, is the eighth and final gymnast to compete. An exquisite routine by the 16-year-old. A bit of hesitancy on some of the connections but the soaring difficulty ensures a huge number. This should certainly push Biles down to third and might be good enough for the gold. Waiting on the scores and ... it’s a difficulty of 6.600 and an execution of 8.033 for a total score of 14.633.
Guan Chenchen wins the Olympic gold medal in women’s balance beam! She is the youngest winner of the women’s balance beam since the American Shawn Johnson won at Beijing 2008 when she was also 16. Tang Xijing takes the silver and Simone Biles will go home with the bronze.
Updated
Flávia Saraiva of Brazil is second to last. She grabs the beam early, then a balance check on a leap. Lots of small mistakes. It’s not going to be enough. Difficulty of 5.700 and execution of 7.433 for a total score of 13.133. Simone Biles can do no worse than a bronze medal.
The leaders with one left to compete:
1 CHN TANG Xijing 14.233
2 USA BILES Simone 14.000
3 CAN BLACK Elsabeth 13.866
4 USA LEE Sunisa 13.866
5 JPN ASHIKAWA Urara 13.733
6 BRA SARAIVA Flavia 13.133
7 ROC URAZOVA Vladislava 12.733
Updated
Vladislava Urazova of the Russian Olympic Committee is sixth. A nervous set with no acro series. Other problems sprinkled throughout, giving a lot away. Major break on her side aerial. A deduction for missing a composition requirement. Biles is going to be in second with two gymnasts to go. Difficulty of 5.000 and execution of 7.733 for a total score of 12.733.
The leaders with two left to compete:
1 CHN TANG Xijing 14.233
2 USA BILES Simone 14.000
3 CAN BLACK Elsabeth 13.866
4 USA LEE Sunisa 13.866
5 JPN ASHIKAWA Urara 13.733
6 ROC URAZOVA Vladislava 12.733
Updated
Urara Ashikawa, the last-minute replacement for Larisa Iordache, is fifth. She bails on her acro series in favor of three straight flics. That’s not going to be enough to get into the podium mix. Difficulty of 5.900 and execution of 7.833 for a total score of 13.833. Black is safe in the bronze medal position for now.
The leaders with three left to compete:
1 CHN TANG Xijing 14.233
2 USA BILES Simone 14.000
3 CAN BLACK Elsabeth 13.866
4 USA LEE Sunisa 13.866
5 JPN ASHIKAWA Urara 13.733
Updated
Sunisa Lee is fourth. She nearly falls on her acro series. A big wobble on the aerial loso loso. What a save! Also a side hop on the dismount. But the all-around champion fought through it. Difficulty of 6.400 and execution of 7.466 for a total score of 13.866. That’s the same score as Black, but the Canadian owns the execution score tiebreaker.
The leaders with four left to compete:
1 CHN TANG Xijing 14.233
2 USA BILES Simone 14.000
3 CAN BLACK Elsabeth 13.866
4 USA LEE Sunisa 13.866
Updated
Simone Biles moves into silver medal position!
Simone Biles is third. And she hits! The confident routine of an athlete in full command. Broke the connection between the back pike and double pike off but sticks the BHS-BHS-double pike dismount (no twisting required). Remarkable after what she’s been through over the last week. The smile speaks volumes. Difficulty of 6.100 and execution of 7.900 for a total score of 14.000.
That puts Biles in silver medal position with five left to compete.
The routine that won our hearts🥉 pic.twitter.com/zwlS1RRnPn
— Gymnastea (@gymnastea) August 3, 2021
Updated
China’s Tang Xijing is second and she hits. Fluid movement throughout and hard to find any flaws in it. Difficulty of 6.000 and execution of 8.233 for a total score of 14.233.
Ellie Black, Canada’s greatest ever gymnast, is first. A clean routine with a high difficulty. A slight check on the full turn out of her double turn. She’s tearing up as she waits for the score. Difficulty of 6.200 and execution of 7.666 for a total score of 13.866.
The family of Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee are awake and watching back home in Minnesota. She is due to compete fourth when the competition starts any moment now, immediately following teammate Simone Biles. Our Joan Niesen and Sean Ingle have written about her incredible backstory.
It’s almost 4 am and some of @sunisalee_ family haven’t gone to sleep yet. They’re waiting for her final event, the beam. She’s competing with her teammate Simone Biles. #sunrisers pic.twitter.com/8V8oI4sfcR
— Gia Vang (@Gia_Vang) August 3, 2021
The competitors!
Ninety-one women from 53 nations competed on the balance beam in last week’s qualifying. The top eight (with a limit of two per country) have advanced to today’s final. Larisa Iordache, the Romanian star who qualified fourth but who’s been dealing with an ankle injury, withdrew from the final. First reserve Urara Ashikawa of Japan will take her place.
Here’s the final start list:
1 Ellie Black (CAN)
• Qualifying score 14.100 (6th)
Finished 44th at 2016 OG, 26th in 2012. Placed 10th at 2019 WCh, 5th in 2018, 8th in 2017, 7th in 2015 and 2014. Gold at 2014 CWG. Gold at 2015 PanAm Games, silver in 2019. In other events - 12th in vault at 2020 OG, 54th in uneven bars, 30th in individual all-around and 10th in team. She said she has no plans to retire. ‘I always say age is just a number.’
2 Tang Xijing (CHN)
• Qualifying score 14.333 (2nd)
Finished 83rd at 2019 WCh. Gold at 2018 Youth OG. In other events - 7th in individual all-around and team at 2020 OG, 13th in uneven bars, 20th in floor. Silver in individual all-around at 2019 WCh, 4th in team, 11th in uneven bars. Bronze in uneven bars at 2018 YOG. Her older brother began to train in gymnastics and she was scouted by a coach when she went to a session with her brother.
3 Simone Biles (USA)
• Qualifying score 14.066 (7th)
Bronze at 2016 OG. Gold at 2019, 2015, 2014 WCh, bronze in 2018, 2013. In other events - silver in team at 2020 OG, 9th in vault, floor, 11th in uneven bars, 25th in all-around. Gold in floor, vault, team, all-around at 2016 OG. Gold in floor, vault, team, all-around at 2019 WCh. Holds record for most medals [25] and most gold medals [19] won by an artistic gymnast of either gender at WCh.
4 Sunisa Lee (USA)
• Qualifying score 14.200 (3rd)
Finished 12th at 2019 WCh. In other events - gold in individual all-around at 2020 OG, silver in team event, bronze in uneven bars. Gold in team at 2019 WCh, silver in floor, bronze in uneven bars. In August 2019, she won the uneven bars at the national championships and dedicated the win to her father John, who had recently became paralysed from the chest down after falling off a ladder.
5 Urara Ashikawa (JPN)
• Qualifying score 13.900 (12th)
In 2019/2020 WCup season, won at Baku, Melbourne and Turnier der Meister. In other events - DNS in uneven bars and floor exercise at 2020 OG, DNF in individual all-around. She took up gymnastics seriously in grade two of primary school at Mizutori Gym in Japan.
5 Larisa Iordache (ROU)
• Qualifying score 14.133 (4th)
Finished 6th at 2012 OG. Placed 23rd at 2015 WCh, 5th in 2014, 7th in 2013. Gold at 2020 and 2013 European Ch, silver in 2014 and 2012. In other events - bronze in team event at 2012 OG. Bronze in individual all-around at 2015 WCh, silver in 2014. She returned to competitive action in late 2020 after tearing her achilles tendon in 2017. ‘It was hard to perish for so long but now I am fine.’
6 Vladislava Urazova (ROC)
• Qualifying score 14.000 (8th)
Finished 11th at 2021 European Ch. Placed 4th at 2019 Junior WCh. Finished 16th at 2018 Junior European Ch. In other events - gold in team event at 2020 OG, 4th in individual all-around, 9th in uneven bars, 10th in floor. Silver in uneven bars at 2021 European Ch. Gold in uneven bars and team at 2019 Junior WCh. Took up the sport at age four. ‘Create a dream and it will create you.’
7 Flávia Saraiva (BRA)
• Qualifying score 13.966 (9th)
Placed 5th at 2016 OG. Finished 6th at 2019 WCh, 17th in 2018. Silver at 2018 PanAm Ch. In other events - DNS in uneven bars at 2020 OG, DNF in individual all-around. Bronze in floor, team and individual all-around at 2019 PanAm Games. She grew more than eight centimetres following the 2016 Olympics. ‘I now can swing better and do some transitions I had problems with before.’
8 Guan Chenchen (CHN)
• Qualifying score 14.933 (1st)
First-time Olympian. Finished 31st at 2019 Junior WCh. In other events - silver in team event at 2019 Junior WCh, 6th in vault, 13th in uneven bars and 14th in floor exercise. She was an active girl at a young age and tried several sports. A family member recommended her parents introduce her to gymnastics. Her sporting idol is American gymnast Simone Biles.
Updated
China’s Zou Jingyuan is the Olympic champion in the men’s parallel bars with a score of 16.233. Germany’s Lukas Dauser earned silver (15.700) ahead of Turkey’s Ferhat Arican (15.633), who took bronze.
The women’s balance beam final will get under way in 15 minutes.
Updated
Biles emerged from the tunnel about an hour and a half ago for her pre-competition warmups. She walked out onto the floor in red sweatpants with a blue shirt alongside teammate and Olympic champion Sunisa Lee before taking the beam in a red, white and blue leotard that we haven’t seen before. She completed a crisp routine on the apparatus capped by a back handspring-back handspring-double pike dismount.
The 24-year-old will attempt today to conquer the “twisties”, the terryifying mental block in which gymnasts lose their spatial awareness in the middle of complex skills. Our Tumaini Carayol wrote about the phenomenon last week:
It is a well-known, terrifying and dangerous sensation for gymnasts.
Among many others, Aleah Finnegan, a gymnast on the USA national team, was prompted to speak about the subject on Twitter. “I’ve had the twisties since I was 11,” she wrote. “I cannot imagine the fear of having it happen to you during competition. They have very limited equipment and mats in Tokyo to help something like this get fixed let alone within a day. You have absolutely no control over your body and what it does.”
So much of gymnastics is mental and where the sport differs from many others is that if gymnasts are not in the right frame of mind to execute their dangerous skills, they will not simply run slower or strike a ball into a fence. Each complex skill comes with the risk of serious injury, and it is something they are keenly aware of each day. By preserving her mental health, Biles is also protecting herself physically.
Updated
The men’s parallel bars final, starting now, is the first of three event finals during today’s final session of artistic gymnastics in Tokyo. The field includes top qualifiers Zou Jingyuan of China and Lukas Fraser of Germany as well as Team USA’s Sam Mikulak and Great Britain’s Joe Fraser.
The women’s balance beam final is second, followed by the men’s horizontal bar final.
A bit of news: Larisa Iordache, the Romanian star who qualified fourth but who’s been dealing with an ankle injury, withdrew from the final, opening the door for first reserve Urara Ashikawa of Japan.
I tried and hoped until the last moment for this Olympic final. Unfortunately, again, my way is hardened... this pain in my ankle that I feel is above my limit as a human being. (1/3)
— Larisa Iordache (@Larisa_Iordache) August 3, 2021
I wanted to do it for me and for person who pushed me down this road, who unfortunately is no longer next to me and I can't get a word of encouragement from...😞 But I know I have my unconditional love of my family. I love you!❤️ (2/3)
— Larisa Iordache (@Larisa_Iordache) August 3, 2021
This time I really thought it would be alright. But my road does not stop here, with this missed chance. For now I'll take a break and I will start again when I'm fully prepared, both psychically and physically. And I thank you, those who hoped and encouraged me.🙏🏼💔(3/3)
— Larisa Iordache (@Larisa_Iordache) August 3, 2021
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Ariake Gymnastics Centre for today’s women’s balance beam final. There’s really no point of talking around the 4ft 8in, 105lb elephant in the room: today’s contest is all about the return of Simone Biles. The 19-time world champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist is returning to competition a little over a week after removing herself from the team final following one vault citing her mental health and the intense pressure she’s faced. She went on to withdraw from the all-around, individual floor, vault and uneven bars finals, casting serious doubt on whether her Tokyo Olympics were finished.
Then came Monday’s announcement: Biles is giving it a go.
She’s continued to train while undergoing daily evaluation by USA Gymnastics staff over the past week. She’s also been a visible cheerleader for her teammates, watching from the stands as Suni Lee succeeded her as all-around champion, then as MyKayla Skinner and Jade Carey added to the team’s medal haul in the event finals.
“I’m really proud of her for coming back,” said Carey, who won the gold on floor exercise on Monday. “She’s been through a lot this Olympics so I’m really proud and happy to see her going after beam.”
More to come ahead of today’s final, which is set to start in an hour’s time: 4.50am ET, 9.50am BST and 5.50pm in Tokyo.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look at yesterday’s big news.
