When the Tokyo Olympics was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, many thought many of the world's aging superstars will miss the chance to exit in the grandest fashion. But American great Simone Biles is not worried at all. She's not only busy perfecting her scores but also doing things that other gymnasts have never dreamt of.
Though only 23, Biles is already a relative veteran of the field, and gymnastics is a sport where time very quickly catches up with its stars. Tokyo 2020 was set to be her final outing at the greatest show on earth, having cleaned up with four gold medals in Rio four years ago.
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A delay of one year does not necessarily rule Biles out, but it gave the American – who topped the podium five times at the 2019 World Championships – plenty to ponder. And here's what she has come up with...
As seen in the video, Biles handsprings twice on a balance beam, then throws herself into the air before landing in the dismount pit. One sensational move featuring a triple-twisting and a double back off the balance beam. It has never been done before.
Watch again:
According to the Olympic Channel, the four-time Olympic champion didn't appear to have missed a step during the seven-week layoff.
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The five-time World all-around champion resumed training just four weeks ago, and on Tuesday posted the training footage to the amazement of her fans.
Earlier, talking about her Tokyo chances, Biles had told BBC: "I feel that I didn't come this far to just give up, and I want to be the one who makes the decision if I'm done with the sport or not."
