With the Olympics just three days away, there is a new twist to the tale to put Simone Biles‘s mind “at ease.” The last say on whether she would want to compete in all four events in the team final will be on the 4x Olympic gold medalist. But there’s more; hear it from The Washington Post’s Emily Giambalvo who interviewed Chellsie Memmel, the technical lead for the U.S. women, on Tuesday.
After her scintillating display in the US Olympic trials and seventh straight team title at the gymnastics world championships last year, Biles, who was deemed the frontrunner to win the all-around medal this year, buck now stops with Simone Biles to take a decision. At this point in time, according to The Washington Post, Biles is kept wrapped up in cotton wool as she likely won’t speak to the media until the events are over.
Coach Cecile Landi had a special conversation with Memmel about the best way to delegate the expectations set on Biles to perform all four events apart from the individual all-around and qualifying. Memmel responded, “Absolutely. If that’s what she needs to continue to be at her best for her team and for herself, then that’s what we’re going to do. Because there are still four other members on our team.”
With Russia still banned from participating in the Olympics, and considering how Biles’s team registered a team final win last year quite convincingly (a 2-point upper edge from their Brazilian runner-up), all hopes are not lost. If memory serves us right, it wasn’t all bells and whistles then either. Joscelyn Roberson had to call it quits prematurely due to a leg injury during warm-up. This meant that Suni Lee had to substitute for her in the vault as well as the floor. Biles opted out of performing Yurchenko double pike, leading to a lower score than what was expected. But again, here’s the catch.
Memmel revealed that the option for Simone Biles to opt out from any of the all-around final events was valid even last year. Only Simone didn’t back off. Regardless, it is unquestionably a rare yet overbearing pressure Biles has endured. Memmel, in her own words, said, “That’s where it’s like that double-edged sword for Simone, where she wants to be able to help but also wants to be able to be at her best.”
Biles, who had to withdraw from several events at Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to “twisties”, has had a miraculous comeback with the support of her family, teammates, her coach Cecili Landi, and her fans’ love. Heading into the Olympics as the oldest Team USA captain at 27, Biles had said that this was her “redemption tour.” However, while praising Simone for her strong presence on the mat after her hiatus, Memmel made it clear that the team is not solely relying on Simone at the big games.
“Simone has been doing great. She’s been solid in training since Katy, Texas and seems to be in a really great place, she’s a great leader for this team, and together they are really looking forward to the competition. It is kind of their redemption tour,” Memmel was quoted by Eurosport. “I want them to get through this and be happy, healthy, and proud of what they accomplish no matter what the outcome is. I want them to be proud and to look back and say I’m so glad I had this experience.”
Biles underwent a tough two years since quitting the Tokyo Olympics due to her mental health struggles. However, she is back now stronger than ever, and apart from her family there was one guiding force in her life through these tough times – that’s Cecile Landi.
Simone Biles’ guiding light in the dark
Biles went back to the basics and only did conditioning for the initial phase. Slowly, she worked her way up, working closely with Cecile and Laurent Landi. “An athlete like Simone would never have reached her full potential in France,” Cecile had said when asked about Biles’ place in the Paris Olympics, the Associated Press reported. “Because she would have been put aside because she didn’t fit that box.”
However, Cecile – who has coached Biles since 2017 along with her husband Laurant – has put in their all to make sure Biles is the greatest gymnast and continues to be so. “It’s not the athlete that needs to adjust to the coaches,” Laurent Landi said. “The coaches need to adjust to the athletes and the athlete’s abilities.”
