Gymnastics News Weekly: Simone Biles says, “I definitely can walk away from Tokyo feeling courage.”

As the end of 2021 nears, seven-time Olympic artistic gymnastics medallist Simone Biles is looking back at the year that had her decision to priortise her mental health making global headlines.

"That's probably one of the first times in my career where I felt courageous and I felt like I had got to speak up for myself," Biles told PEOPLE magazine of her Tokyo Olympic experience. "[I] definitely can walk away from Tokyo, feeling courage, feeling at ease. And I did everything I could."

Biles was honoured by the magazine this week as one of its ‘People of the Year’ for 2021 alongside country music icon Dolly Parton, actress Sandra Oh, and U.S. educators.

In the interview with PEOPLE, Biles is candid about what she describes as “a roller coaster of emotions” following the Tokyo Games in which she entered as a favourite to win up to five gold medals.

"Whenever I got home, I was really sad about it. But then on the flipside, I was like, 'You know how many people I helped by speaking out and teaching them that they need to speak up for themselves?' And just kind of going through that road together, and putting mental health at the forefront. So I knew that it was right," Biles said. "And obviously, I'm still going to be sad because it didn't go the way I wanted. But with the cards that I was dealt, it went better than expected."

As for what’s next, Biles isn’t sure. And that’s OK.

“The journey’s not over for me yet,” said the 24-year-old. “But I just have to see what future me wants and I’m going to give it some time because I think that I deserve that and just to mentally rest, physically rest and prepare for what’s next.

Team USA dominates artistic gymnastics competition at first-ever Jr. Pan American Games

The U.S. athletes combined for 11 of a possible 14 gold medals last week at the inaugural Junior Pan American Games in Cali, Colombia.

In men’s competition, the U.S. team of Toby Liang, Cole Partridge, Vahe Petrosyan, and David Shamah took the title ahead of Brazil (230.700 to 226.350). Petrosyan won the all-around title, as well, with Chile’s Luciano Letelier taking silver, followed by Liang.

The U.S. men won three of the six titles in the apparatus finals with Liang the champion on floor, Shama on pommel horse and parallel bars. The Dominican Republic’s Jabiel Polanco took gold on the still rings, while Mexico’s Ricardo Torres claimed the vault title. The last final of the competition on the high bar went to Brazil’s Diogo Paes.

Team USA’s women were more than 16 points clear of team silver medallists Brazil, 159.350 to 143.000. The U.S. team consisted of Kailin Chio, Madray Johnson, Katelyn Jong, and Tiana Sumanasekera.

Jong, Chio, and Johnson went 1-2-3 in the women’s all-around competition, but due to a two-per-country rule Canadian Aurelie Tran was the bronze medallist. The U.S. women swept the apparatus finals with Sumanasekera the champion on vault, Johnson on bars and beam, and Chio on the floor.

From the vault…

This week, we take a look back at the women’s floor final from the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

Gold medallist Lavinia Milosovici of Romania took the gold medal, a perfect 10.0 to take the title, which was the last recorded in Olympic gymnastics history.

Hungary’s Henrietta Onodi won the silver medal, while three athletes (USA’s Shannon Miller, Romania’s Christina Bontas and the Unified Team’s Tatiana Gutsu) shared the bronze.