Biles’s withdrawal, Beilock said, was an attempt to take control of a situation that had seemingly spiraled out of control when she lost her sense of positioning in the air during a twisting maneuver. Osaka lost to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic on Tuesday and exited in the third round of the Olympics. It sort of gives them permission.”Biles entered the Tokyo Olympics as more than a superstar gymnast. As the coronavirus pandemic forced a one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games, Ungerleider said, it was extremely difficult for elite gymnasts who lacked regular access to gyms, coaches and national training camps. At these Olympics, she has performed before a largely empty arena, unable to feed off the energy of the crowd.

Source: New York Times July 28, 2021 09:01 UTC