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Dominating World Championships Despite Injury, Simone Biles Proves Why She Is a Living Legend

Published 10/19/2023, 1:15 PM EDT

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If someone mentions the sport of gymnastics, there will always be a mention of Simone Biles. The “GOAT” of gymnastics, as fans have called her, has been a dominant force. Since her senior debut in 2013, she has made history. Clinching victory after victory, year after year, she quickly climbed to the top and proved her mettle. At the recent World Championships, despite being out of competition for two years, the seven-time Olympic medalist had nothing left to prove. Yet she came back and did just that, defying expectations.

In the all-around finals of the competition, after Biles had just clinched her sixth title, surpassing Rebeca Andrade and Shilese Jones, a moment stood out on the podium. When the USA national anthem played, Biles, standing in the number one position, started tearing up. She wiped her tears and tried hard to keep them from rolling down her cheeks. Seeing the champion get emotional, fans everywhere were moved. However, she later revealed, in a twist, the true reason behind her tears. And now, once more, Biles opened up about the moment and proved why she is a living legend.

Simone Biles opens up about an injury in Antwerp

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In an interview with TODAY posted on their official X account, Biles shared her candid thoughts with hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, live from Spring, Texas.  Then the interviewers brought up the teary moment in Antwerp, which, at the time, Biles had brushed off, saying there was something in her eye. However, this time, she revealed the truth about what actually happened, saying, “I definitely was emotional, but not to the point of tearing up. But actually, after that night, we had drug testing and all of these things, and I ended up with only one set of eyelashes. And I looked pretty crazy at the end of the night. But the doctors looked at my eye, and somehow I had cut my eye”.

She continued saying, “Because I think since the bars are brand new, sometimes they flake off and have been falling in our eyes. So I had a cut on my eye, actually.” Biles and the interviewers also discussed the World Championships and also spoke in length about her fifth element, “Biles II.” Despite this injury, Biles dominated that day and the days that followed as well.

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Making history despite hurting herself

Biles made history in Belgium winning 5 medals 4 of which were gold. In the interview, she also spoke about how, ten years ago, in 2013, she had her first element named after her, and now in 2023 she has her fifth element named “Biles II.” Biles also became the most decorated gymnast ever, male or female.

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She tied with Japan’s Kōhei Uchimura, winning her 6th All-Around title for the record of the most all-around titles at the World Gymnastics Championships. If that wasn’t enough, with her sixth title in the floor exercise finals, Biles became the only gymnast to ever do so.

Read more: “Just Gone”: Simone Biles Shares Frustrating Loss After Being Bested by Technology

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All these victories came despite her eye injury, which caused her to tear up on the podium and could have even marred her performance. Biles took Antwerp by storm, not only making America proud once more but proving she was, in fact, a living legend.

Watch this story: Months After Simone Biles’ Wedding, the Gymnastic Queen’s Love for Flowers ‘Blooms’ Once Again on Instagram

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Written by:

Christaline Meyers

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Christaline Meyers is a US Sports Writer for Essentially Sports. Having contributed to movies and web series, Christaline delved into sports journalism and like the puck on the ice, has been a force to be reckoned with in the US sports arena. Her ability to capture the true essence of Gymnastics keeps the readers engaged throughout the content she creates.
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Edited by:

Sampurna Pal