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Simone Biles earns bronze in balance beam in return to competition

Simone Biles
Posted at 5:54 AM, Aug 03, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-03 10:44:59-04

Simone Biles has won a bronze medal in balance beam, her first of the Tokyo Olympics.

The American gymnastics star finished behind gold medalist Guan Chenchen and silver medalist Tang Xijing both of China.

A week after taking herself out of several competitions to focus on her mental health, Biles drilled a slightly altered routine on Tuesday.

Biles, using a routine that ended with a double-pike dismount — no twisting required — posted a score of 14.000.

That was good enough for second after four competitors during the eight-woman final.

Her decision to remove herself from the all-around team competition and several individual events has sparked an international conversation about mental health in athletics.

Biles told the "Today Show" that she's "extremely proud" of herself and she's glad she got to compete one last time.

"It means more than all the golds because I've pushed through so much the last five years and the last week while I've even been here," Biles told Hoda Kotb.