Simone Biles Returns to Competition for Balance Beam Final

Simone Biles is back. One week after abruptly withdrawing from the team all-around final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the world’s most decorated gymnast is returning to competition.

In a tweet on Monday, USA Gymnastics confirmed that Biles and teammate Sunisa Lee would both be competing in the balance beam final, the last individual medal event for gymnastics at this summer’s games.

During the last week’s team all-around final on July 27, Biles withdrew from competition after performing an incomplete version of her vault routine — she twisted fewer times in the air than she intended, explaining to press in the following days that she was experiencing a random mental block called the “twisties.” The twisties can be an extremely dangerous sensation for gymnasts, as they become disoriented in mid-air and are often unable to control where and how their bodies land. According to other gymnasts who have also experienced the phenomenon, twisties can also be exacerbated by stress.

“Whenever you get in a high stress situation you kind of freak out and don’t really know how to handle all of those emotions, especially at the Olympic Games,” Biles told the media after her initial withdrawal. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and wellbeing.”

Biles held a Q&A about the twisties on her Instagram story on Friday, answering questions about the severity of her case of the twisties and sharing videos of her attempting to practice through the mind-body disconnect on softer surfaces. 

“For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit,” she wrote in one of her posts. “My mind and body are simply not in sync.”

The 24-year-old gymnast withdrew from several competitions within the last week in efforts to protect her mental health. Biles has expressed gratitude for the outflow of support she’s received from her teammates, friends, family, and fans after making tough decisions that place her well-being before her career on a high-stakes global stage like the Olympics.

Since withdrawing, Biles has still been in attendance at every competition, cheering for her teammates from the sidelines. But the six-time Olympic medalist is officially set to return to the mat on Tuesday for the balance beam final — her last shot at an individual Olympic medal in Tokyo. According to ESPN, Biles is the event’s three-time world champion, and won bronze on beam in Rio in 2016.

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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Simone Biles Withdraws From Additional Tokyo Olympics Events

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue