Tokyo Olympics: Taylor Swift lauds gymnast Simone Biles' win, says 'cried watching you'

American gymnast Simone Biles who stepped down from the competition at the Tokyo Olympics citing mental illness and pressure displayed a spectacular show and won a bronze, the seventh Olympic medal of her career. Simone received praises and appreciation from people including various celebrities. Singer Taylor Swift shared a sweet exchange with the athlete on Twitter after Biles earned her first individual medal since withdrawing from the previous all-around. 

Taylor Swift praises gymnast Simone Biles' bronze win at Olympics 

Swift had narrated a video about Biles for NBC's coverage of the games, in which she called the gymnast "a hero." "What do we want from our heroes?" Swift begins in the promo. "What do we expect from them? What do we need from them? What happens when they surprise us? When you have the attention of the world, everything you do takes on a bigger meaning. It can be a heavy burden. It can be a chance to change everything,” she said in the video.

"Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents," the singer says in the clip. "Her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that had long been her signature. But don't you see? It still is. She is perfectly human. And that's what makes it so easy to call her a hero,” the 31-year-old singer added. Clearly touched by the video, Biles tweeted in response: "I'm crying 🥺🤍 how special. I love you @taylorswift13."

From her personal Twitter account, Swift then replied to Biles, "I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience." "We all learned from you," she added. "Thank you."

Biles won her seventh Olympic medal in gymnastics, making her only the second American gymnast to achieve the feat after Shannon Miller. Biles registered a score of 14.0 to win the bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. China's Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing won the gold and silver medals respectively as they registered scores of 14.666 and 14.233. Biles had won a silver medal while competing in the women's artistic team final earlier last week. However, the 24-year-old announced her withdrawal after the event, claiming she was suffering from twisties, a term used in gymnastics to refer to the mental block that hampers the coordination between the body and the mind. 

IMAGE: AP/SIMONEBILES/Instagram