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Tokyo 2020: Simone Biles wins bronze in Olympic gymnastics return

USA's Simone Biles returns to competition with a strong performance in the beam final

Simone Biles has won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games in an emotional return to Olympic gymnastics competition.

Competing in the beam event, China's Guan Chenchen won gold, with team-mate Tang Xijing taking silver.

Biles, who is the most successful US gymnast of all time and one of the best gymnasts in the world, had not competed since last week's team final, where she performed on the vault before saying she needed to stop to protect her mental health.

Speaking to the 大象传媒, Biles said it's "too early to say what the future holds" and that the medal is "much sweeter" than the bronze she won in the same event at the last Olympic Games.

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The American won bronze on the beam at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and before the start of this year's Games there was a chance of six possible gold medals for her in Tokyo.

However, during the team final she struggled to complete the planned number of twists in her vault and spulled out of the event.

She explained afterwards that she needed to take time to focus on her mental health and that she had been suffering with the 'twisties' which gymnasts describe as having a mental block.

What are the twisties?

  • Gymnasts have described the twisties as a kind of mental block

  • In gymnastics it can cause a person to lose their sense of space and dimension when they are in the air

  • They could cause them to lose control of their body and do extra twists or flips that they hadn't planned on

  • The twisties can happen even if a gymnast has done the same move many times before

Biles missed four more events while taking a break, before returning for the beam event on Tuesday.

The return to competition was also her last chance of a medal at this Olympic Games, having won a silver in the team event despite having to stop.

After completing a strong routine, Biles jumped up and down and hugged her rivals, registering a bronze winning score of 14.000.

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