"Commentators assumed that getting bronze on beam would devastate me"- When Simone Biles opened up about almost falling at the Rio Olympics

Simone Biles once opened up about her performance in the balance beam at the Rio Olympics. The American gymnast revealed how a blunder during the performance had a profound impact on her losing out on the Olympic crown in the balance beam. Despite not winning the gold medal in the event, Biles was very content with the results and expressed how it was unlike how most commentators thought that it would devastate her.

Biles made her Olympic debut in the Brazilian capital and was considered to be one of the top contenders for multiple Olympic medals, considering her past performances, where she dominated the entire lineup. However, Simone Biles committed a minor mistake during the balance beam final, which led her to finish in third place.

The American gymnast lost her balance during the beam and held on to it with her hands, which prevented her from completely falling off. This affected her score, and she initially thought that she would be out of medal contention. However, due to her execution in the rest of the routine as well as the high difficulty of her maneuver, she gained points that propelled her to the third position.

Simone Biles recalled the incident in her book, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance, and wrote:

"My beam performance in the event final wasn’t quite as golden: I’d bobbled on my front tuck and would have fallen all the way off the beam if I hadn’t grabbed it with both hands. That knocked my score down by a full point."

"Most commentators assumed that getting bronze on beam would devastate me, but in fact, I was over the moon. Of course, I wished I’d been able to get through the entire routine without a mistake, but who falls on beam at the Olympics and still wins a medal? It’s rare. Standing next to Laurie and first-place winner Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands during the medal ceremony, I was grinning every bit as hard as if I’d just won gold.," she added.

---

Simone Biles on dealing with expectations in her debut Olympic appearance

Simone Biles competes at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016 - Source: Getty

Simone Biles spoke about dealing with people's expectations in an interview with The Guardian during the Paris Olympics. The American athlete expressed that people expect a particular athlete to continue winning every single time.

However, based on the circumstances as well as the competition, she revealed the outcome can be different on several occasions.

“Everybody thinks a champion has to always be the winner, come out on top. But I think everybody inside is a champion themselves depending on how you handle your failures and your successes.”

Simone Biles revealed that she has learned to handle pressure in a better way after competing in several events; however, she expressed that losing never gets easier.