Simone Biles returns to win bronze in balance beam at Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO — One week after she pulled out of the gymnastics team competition at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles returned to win the bronze medal in Tuesday’s balance beam final.

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Photos: Simone Biles wins bronze in Olympic balance beam final U.S. gymnast Simone Biles poses with her bronze medal for the artistic gymnastics women's balance beam apparatus at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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This marks the seventh Olympic medal for the 24-year-old, who won four gold medals and a bronze – also on balance beam – at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, as well as a silver in last week’s team competition. She is now tied with Shannon Miller for winning the most Olympic medals of any American gymnast, according to USA Today.

In Tuesday’s final, Biles logged a score of 14, finishing behind China’s Guan Chenchen (14.633) and Tang Xijing (14.233). American Sunisa Lee finished in fifth place with a score of 13.866.

Biles, often described as the greatest gymnast of all time, withdrew from the team competition July 27 after the U.S. women completed their first rotation on vault. According to The Associated Press, she bailed on the vault she had planned to perform, an Amanar, and hopped on the landing.

>> RELATED STORY: Simone Biles pulls out of women’s gymnastics team final, US takes silver

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Simone Biles drops from team competition Simone Biles, of the United States, enters the court for the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) (Gregory Bull/AP)

Biles was seen with her trainer before leaving the floor with the team’s doctor following the routine, according to the AP. She returned to the sidelines to cheer on teammates Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum, who went on to win the silver medal.

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US women compete in gymnastics team final Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Biles later revealed that she was suffering from “the twisties,” a mental block that causes athletes to lose awareness of their position midair, USA Today reported. Citing a need to focus on her mental health, she withdrew from the individual all-around, vault, uneven bars and floor finals.

>> RELATED STORY: What are the ‘twisties’ and why did Simone Biles get them?

“For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit,” she captioned an Instagram video that showed her falling back-first onto a mat while practicing an uneven bars dismount Friday. “My mind & body are simply not in sync, as you can see here.”

She added: “I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health.”

>> RELATED STORY: Simone Biles shares new Olympic training videos, says mind and body ‘not in sync’

In Thursday’s all-around competition, Lee ended up capturing the gold medal, while teammate Jade Carey, who replaced Biles, finished in eighth place.

>> RELATED STORY: Who is Sunisa Lee, gold medalist in Olympic gymnastics all-around?

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Photos: Sunisa Lee wins gold in Olympic gymnastics all-around Sunisa Lee, of United States, reacts as she poses for a picture after winning the gold medal in the artistic gymnastics women's all-around final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

MyKayla Skinner, also of the United States, took Biles’ place in Sunday’s vault final and won the silver medal, while Carey stumbled and finished in eighth place. Lee later won the bronze in the uneven bars final.

>> RELATED STORY: MyKayla Skinner wins silver in vault as replacement for Simone Biles

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Photos: MyKayla Skinner wins silver after replacing Simone Biles in Olympic vault final From left, MyKayla Skinner of the United States, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and Yeo Seo-jeong of South Korea, pose with their medals for the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

On Monday, Carey won the gold medal in the women’s floor exercise final.

>> RELATED STORY: Jade Carey wins gold in floor exercise final at Tokyo Olympics

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Photos: Jade Carey wins gold in floor exercise final at Tokyo Olympics Jade Carey, of the United States, poses after winning the gold medal for the floor exercise during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

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