"Aly Raisman was going to cry, and then she's going to make me cry" - When Simone Biles explained her emotions during all-around win at Rio Olympics

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Nov 22, 2024 01:39 GMT

Simone Biles needs no introduction. The 27-year-old gymnast has made the USA proud with her performances at the Olympics. However, at the Rio Olympics, her first individual medal, a gold in the individual all-around event, continues to be special.

Simone Biles became the fourth American female gymnast to win the individual all-around Olympic gold medal in a row, after Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, and Gabby Douglas, who won at the quadrennial event when held in Athens, Beijing, and London, respectively.

In an interview with ESPN, Biles talked at length about her feelings before and after the event. When asked about what was going through her mind before the final move, the American gymnast replied,

"What was going through my mind was 'Aly was going to cry, and then, oh my gosh, she's going to make ME cry.' And that's not going to be good."

Biles was referring to Alexandra 'Aly' Raisman, who was close behind Biles as she clinched the silver medal in the finals. When asked about how she felt after winning the gold medal, Biles replied,

"I'm not exactly sure how to answer that. I didn't even know my all-around [title was won] till, like, five minutes ago."

Biles went on to win a gold medal in the women's team all-around event, the individual vault event, and the floor exercise event at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She also won a bronze medal in the balance beam event, taking her tally to an overall of five medals.

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Simone Biles on having a panic attack at the Rio Olympics

Gymnastics - Artistic - Olympics: Day 11 - Source: Getty

Simone Biles had made it big at the Rio Olympics, with four gold medals and a bronze in her collection. However, there was a time when the American gymnast almost had a panic attack over the rising expectations.

"Once inside my room, I threw myself across the bed and really let myself bawl. My chest heaved, and I could barely catch my breath. I felt as if I was having a full-blown panic attack," Simone Biles recalled in her 2016 memoir 'Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance'.

Biles further mentioned that she had this feeling ever since she placed first at the US Olympic trials. She further wrote,

"The truth was, I’d been a little grumpy with my family ever since getting back from San Jose. The stress of having to follow up on my first-place finish at Trials was getting to me. Everywhere I looked, articles in magazines, newspapers, and online were declaring me America’s best hope to win five gold medals in Rio. I refused to read any of the stories. How could I think about winning gold and making history when I couldn’t even get my bar routine straight?"

Despite the initial apprehensions, Biles went on to create history at the Rio Olympics. She further won a silver and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and three gold medals and a silver at the Paris Olympics to become the most decorated American female gymnast of all time.