Minneapolis (AFP) – Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles, who redefined her sport as she piled up Olympic and world championships gold, is “back to her sometimes goofy self” as she eyes more history at the US Olympic trials, coach Cecile Landi says.
Biles dazzled in winning four gold medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but her campaign at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games was cut short as she dealt with the debilitating spatial awareness condition gymnasts call “the twisties.”
After a lengthy break, marriage to NFL player Jonathan Owens, and with a commitment to her mental wellness part of the process, Biles has returned in dominant form.
She won five medals at the 2023 world championships in Antwerp, remaining unbeaten in world championships all-around and floor competition with her sixth titles in each event.
In Antwerp she successfully performed her Yurchenko double pike vault now known as the Biles II — the fifth skill named for her as the first woman to complete it in international competition.
She launched 2024 with an all-around victory at the Core Hydration Classic and followed it up with a ninth US all-around title earlier this month.
With the all-around winner at this week’s trials in Minneapolis guaranteed a Paris berth Biles looks poised to join Muriel Grossfeld, Linda Metheny and Dominique Dawes as the only American women gymnasts to compete in three Olympic Games.
As that milestone beckons, Landi said, Biles is benefitting from the work she does outside the gym to maintain her mental balance amid the pressure that comes with being considered the greatest of all time.
“She’s calm, she laughs, she’s back to her sometimes goofy self that we had missed a few times,” Landi told reporters during a pre-trials training day on Wednesday.
“So I think this is where it shows …she has a few tools that are personal to her but that helps her stay calm and remember why she’s here.And how to think positive.”
Landi said she’s seen Biles’s confidence grow even since the world championships last October.
“I think even at worlds she was confident, but I don’t think it was where she is this year,” Landi said.
“I think it’s just taken a little more time on that end.”
Biles sat at nationals this month she was enjoying gymnastics without “stressing or having any anxiety.”
Landi said she could see a difference compared to Biles’s state at the trials for Tokyo.
“I think she’s more prepared mentally than she was last time,” Landi said.
“She feels the pressure obviously, but she knows she’s ready.”
© 2024 AFP
