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sports Diaranson 4 augustus 2021

Biles returns to Olympic competition, wins bronze on beam

(AP) — Simone Biles isn’t why. And if she’s being hon- that shifted the focus from
going home with a fistful est, the wires still aren’t re- the Tokyo Games to the men-
of gold medals. A mental connected. She’s not sure tal health of the athletes who
block — one brought on when they will be. compete under the rings.
by exhaustion or stress or
something the American “It was something that was “We’re not just entertain-
gymnastics star still can’t so out of my control,” Biles ment, we’re humans,” Biles
quite grasp — that forced said. “But the outcome I had, said. “And there are things
her to pull out of four at end of the day, my mental going on behind the scenes
Olympic finals saw to that. and physical health is better that we’re also trying to jug-
than any medal. So I couldn’t gle with as well, on top of
Yet standing on the podium be mad.” sports.”
Tuesday, a bronze medal
hanging around her neck and Biles and coach Cecile Landi Biles thought she had it un- she moved her Twitter app ingly immune to the whir of
tears in her eyes, the 24-year- adjusted her routine to ease der control. Then the Ameri- to the back of her phone, dozens of cameras capturing
old Biles may have claimed her anxiety, switching out a cans finished a surprising hopefully tamping down her every move. She made a
something far more valuable: dismount that required her second to the Russian team the temptation to search her small hop after landing her
a piece of herself back. to twist for one with two in qualifying. She sensed the mentions. double-pike, then saluted the
simpler backflips instead, a weight of the world on her stands. One last bow perhaps,
From the “twisties” that have skill she hadn’t done in com- shoulders. During the first “It’s not good for me right in a career that includes 32
haunted her for a week. From petition in 12 years, half a vault rotation in the team now,” she said. major international medals
the endless speculation about lifetime ago. Even with the final, the weight became and a spot atop her sport.
her state of mind. From the degree of difficulty lowered, too much. Shaken, she took There was no phone in
hype machine — one, admit- she earned a 14.000, good herself out of the final three sight when she appeared While she hasn’t officially
tedly, she fed into at times enough for third behind events and watched as her on the floor in a red, white announced her retirement —
— that set expectations so Chinese teammates Guan teammates held on for silver. and blue leotard with nearly she’s hinted that she might
high coming to Tokyo noth- Chenchen and Tang Xijing. 5,000 crystals stitched on. If want to stick around in some
ing short of the impossible The decision made her a she was nervous, it hardly fashion until the 2024 Games
would have been enough. Afterward, she chatted with touchstone of sorts. Yes, there showed. She warmed up and to honor coaches Laurent
IOC President Thomas Bach was a lot of support. She felt then sat on the floor next to and Cecile Landi, who are
It all became too much. A then wiped away tears after “embarrassed” when a trip teammate and newly minted both French — a long lay-
week ago, her internal wires accepting her seventh Olym- through the Olympic Vil- all-around champion Sunisa off awaits. She’s headlining a
got crossed when she hopped pic medal, tied with Shan- lage included a steady stream Lee to watch highlights from post-Olympic tour through
on uneven bars during prac- non Miller for the most by an of people coming up to tell other sports on a large video the fall. What happens af-
tice. Suddenly, she couldn’t American gymnast. A wave them how much she meant board. ter that is a mystery, even to
spin. She could barely move. of relief washed over her fol- to them. There was a lot of Biles.
She still doesn’t quite know lowing a turbulent eight days hate, too, one of the reasons Her routine was steady, seem-

Belarus sprinter says punishment awaited her back home

(AP) — A Belarusian her to the airport and trying would be in danger at home, forced it to change course, competing in the 200 meters.
Olympic sprinter who had to put her on a plane back to Tsimanouskaya said that “the but European officials de-
a public feud with officials Belarus. key phrase was that ‘we didn’t nounced the move as an act Tsimanouskaya waged — and
from her team at the To- make the decision for you to of air piracy. lost — a legal fight to run in
kyo Games said Tuesday In the dramatic standoff, sev- go home, it was decided by that event. The Court of Ar-
that they “made it clear” eral countries offered help, other people, and we were Lukashenko appears to have bitration for Sport said in a
she would face punish- and Poland granted her a hu- merely ordered to make it a particular interest in his statement that it denied Tsi-
ment if she returned home manitarian visa Monday. She happen.’” country’s Olympic team: He manouskaya’s request for an
to an autocratic govern- plans to fly to Warsaw later in and his son, Viktor, have led interim ruling that would
ment that has relentlessly the week. Earlier, Belarus’ National the Belarus National Olym- have allowed her to run at the
stifled any criticism. Olympic Committee told a pic Committee for more than Olympic Stadium on Mon-
Team officials “made it clear state-run news agency that 25 years. Both were banned day. The heats were held in
Waiting to leave Japan to that, upon return home, I it was closely monitoring the from the Tokyo Games by the morning and the semifi-
seek refuge in Europe, Kryst- would definitely face some situation and cooperating the IOC, which investigated nals were in the evening.
sina Tsimanouskaya said she form of punishment,” the with the International Olym- complaints from athletes that
hopes she can continue her 24-year-old sprinter told The pic Committee. they faced intimidation dur- On Tuesday, Tsimanouskaya
career, but for now her safety Associated Press in a video- ing the crackdown on anti- called on international sports
is the priority. After she criti- call interview from Tokyo. In the interview, Tsimanous- government protests over the authorities “to investigate the
cized the management of her “There were also thinly dis- kaya also expressed worry for last year. situation, who gave the order,
team on social media, she guised hints that more would her parents, who remain in who actually took the deci-
accused officials of hustling await me.” Belarus. Her husband, Arseni The current standoff began sion that I can’t compete any
Zdanevich, told the AP that after Tsimanouskaya’s criti- more.” She suggested pos-
She added that she believed he decided to leave the coun- cism of how officials were sible “sanctions against the
she would be kicked off the try when Tsimanouskaya told managing her team set off head coach who approached
national team. She hopes to him she wasn’t coming back. a massive backlash in state- me and who deprived me of
be able to continue running run media back home, where the right to compete in the
once she has reached safety. The couple’s fears reflect the government has cracked Olympic Games.”
the lengths the Belarus’ au- down on dissent since a pres-
“I would very much like to thoritarian government has idential election a year ago Athletes seeking asylum at
continue my sporting career at times gone to in its crack- triggered a wave of unprec- global sporting events is
because I’m just 24, and I had down on dissent, including edented mass protests. nothing new — such requests
plans for two more Olympics recently diverting a plane to were especially frequent dur-
at least,” she said. But “for the capital of Minsk and ar- The runner said on Insta- ing the Cold War but they
now, the only thing that con- resting a journalist aboard. gram that she was put in the have also happened occasion-
cerns me is my safety.” President Alexander Lu- 4x400 relay even though she ally in the decades since.
kashenko maintained that a has never raced in the event.
Asked what made her fear she bomb threat against the flight She was then barred from