"A bad experience had made me afraid"- When Simone Biles reflected on terrifying incident that made her apprehensive about learning balance beam skill

Simone Biles once reflected on an overwhelming incident that made her hesitant to learn a balance beam skill. The horrifying incident occurred when the gymnast was trying to master the Tkatchev on uneven bars.

A Tkatchev consists of a complicated release and catch sequence, where a gymnast swings around the bars, releases it, and turns hands over to fly backward over the bar in a straddle position before catching the bar again on the other side. In her autobiography, Courage to Soar, published in November 2016, Biles reflected on the traumatic event.

During one of the attempts, Biles hesitated at the last moment and didn't release the bar as planned. This led to the gymnast's back bending awkwardly on the bar and spinning off it. Although Biles wasn't injured, the frightening experience left her terrified.

"My trouble with this skill was the same old story—a bad experience had made me afraid of the move," Biles wrote. "Here’s what happened: One day when one of my other coaches at Bannon’s was spotting me on bars, I threw my body into the motion for the Tkatchev, getting ready to sail backward over the bar, but at the last second, I didn’t release the bar. I ended up backbending on the bar, and next thing I knew, I was spinning around on my neck and flying off the apparatus"

She added:

"No, I didn’t get injured, but after that, I was terrified of the Tkatchev."

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Simone Biles flawlessly performed the Tkatchev on uneven bars in a competition after Lexie Priessman's inspiring words

Simone Biles of the United States during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

Although Simone Biles showed resilience and performed the Tkatchev on the balance beam, she failed to catch the bar consistently in her training sessions. However, her coach wanted her to execute the skill at the upcoming competition that which decided the spots for national championships.

Right before her routine on the balance beam at the CoverGirl Classic in 2011, Biles started crying in the bathroom, worried about humiliating herself with a failure in the event. In the aforementioned autobiography, Biles reflected how Lexie Priessman, a gymnast she adored, comforted her.

Priessman shared a valuable tip asking Biles to release the bar earlier than expected, even if it felt too soon, stating it helped her too. Simone Biles followed the advice given by Priessman and caught the bar, while perfectly executing the skill for the first time in a competition.