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Updated August 6th, 2021 at 13:16 IST

Simone Biles surprised by family at airport, returns home after emotional Olympics exit

American gymnast Simone Biles was glad to return home after competing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, she was warmly welcomed by her supporters at the airport

Reported by: Amrit Burman
Simone Biles, Simone Biles dropout, Simone Biles Tokyo Olympics,
IMAGE:AP | Image:self
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American gymnast Simone Biles was glad to return home after competing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The 24-year-old withdrew her name during last week's team competition after she was struck by a condition known as' twisties'. She flew back to Houston on Thursday and was warmly welcomed by her supporters and relatives at the airport. 

Taking to her Instagram account, Biles expressed her happiness at being home. She wrote, "Houston, I’m home. Thanks for making sure I didn’t have to wait one more minute to see my family @united".  After receiving bouquets from supporters, Biles requested privacy and space while speaking to local media upon her return Here's her tweet. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

Why did Simone Biles drop out of Tokyo Olympics 2020?

The 24-year-old American gymnast excelled in every round at the Tokyo Olympics until an unfortunate event occurred. While talking to the media at the Olympic Village, Billes revealed that she was facing a psychological issue. She said the cause of her withdrawal was 'the Twisties'. 

'Twisties' is one of the rare words which was never heard before this Olympics. This is a temporary mental illness, which happens due to a lack of connection between the mind and the body. When a person suffers from twisties, he/she may feel numbness in his feet, hands, or other areas of the body, forcing that particular part of the body to stop functioning for a small interval. According to experts, this is a common mental illness that can happen to anyone during big tournaments like the Olympics. This is mainly caused by the building up of pressure in the brain blocks during severe stress.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

Simone Biles Tokyo Olympics 2020 performance

Biles was dominant in the match from the beginning. She was confident and impressive throughout the second round. Her twists and flips were spectacular, which also earned her 14.0 points, and ranked her second out of five. Bile's performance was amazing until she was knocked down to the third position. Biles won bronze for recording a point of 14.00, whereas, XJ Tang of China stood second at 14.233 and China's CC Guan topped the list with 14.633 points.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles)

Simone Biles's track record

Biles is one of the most celebrated gymnasts. She holds 25 world medals, including 19 gold medals, which makes her the only gymnast in the world to possess the maximum number of medals. The 24-year-old has overcome Vitaly Scherbo's record of 23 world medals. Biles holds many prestigious titles and is the recipient of numerous mega awards. However, it was the first time Biles withdrew her name from a tournament. Until this day, she had maintained a clean record of victories.

IMAGE: AP

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Published August 6th, 2021 at 13:16 IST

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