Brave Olympic bronze for Biles


USA's Simone Biles poses with her bronze medal during the podium ceremony of the artistic gymnastics women's balance beam of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo on August 3, 2021. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP)

Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles stared down the debilitating "twisties" to bravely win Olympic bronze on Tuesday.

Biles pulled out of most of her finals as she battled the disorientating mental block, but she returned in medal-winning style to high excitement at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre.

The American four-time gold-medallist, widely considered the "GOAT" (Greatest Of All Time) put in a solid routine including a double backward somersault and double pike dismount, smiling broadly as she was congratulated by her teammates.

Biles was lying in the silver medal position until the final competitor, Chinese 16-year-old Guan Chenchen, stepped up and scored 14.633 points to take first place, pushing teammate Tang Xijing into silver.

China's Zou Jingyuan won the men's parallel bars with 16.233 to add Olympic gold to his two world titles on the apparatus.