JUST IN: From being told that i would never be able to do gymnastics again to winning my 5th olympic medal! This medal goes deeper than the gymnastics. i can’t even begin to express how much my health has taken away from me & to be here is the greatest achievement of all. grateful for the opportunity to be able to represent team USA at my second olympic games!❤️❤️

Her typical magic combination of grace, power and speed made for an iconic moment that will live on in gymnastics and Olympics lore. She nailed everything she went for.

Even when she slightly stumbled, there was no breaking her stride. “I kind of knew as long as I landed on my feet on all passes, we were going to be good. So as soon as I stepped out of bounds, I was like, ‘Well, there’s a line… . I guess … it’s not that big of a deal,’” she said.

It was a performance for the ages under the brightest of lights for a performer who has faced more scrutiny than any normal human could bear to stand.

But what the 4-foot-8-inch Biles lacks in height, she more than makes up for in heart and, after years of therapy and working on herself, mental toughness.

“At the beginning of the day, I started off with therapy this morning so that was super exciting. And then I told her I was feeling calm and ready,” Biles said of her preparations for Tuesday night. “And that’s kind of exactly what happened.”

But, in a sign of her normality amid abnormal performances, Biles said Tokyo was never far from her mind.

After I finished vault, I was relieved. I was like, ‘Wooo, because please, no flashbacks or anything,’” she said. “But I did feel a lot of relief. And as soon as I landed vault, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m definitely (OK), we’re gonna do this.’”

Teammate Jordan Chiles jumped up and down in joy after that vault for the same reason.

“Yo, hallelujah, no flashbacks. No, nothing,” she said. “I was like, OK, like, all she needs to do is just do her normal. So me jumping up and down was just like a relief.”

From the moment she entered the Bercy Arena on Sunday to Tuesday’s medal ceremony, Biles was the most watched person in the City of Light.

Her every step was looked at carefully – even more so after a moment during warmups for the floor in Sunday’s qualification when she aggravated a calf injury she first felt a couple weeks ago.
Biles limped and powered through the rest of that competition, qualifying for the all-around individual finals along with the individual balance beam, vault and floor competitions. It inspired a level of concern that sent onlookers spiraling into worries that Biles could possibly experience the woes of Tokyo once again.