As a big-time Olympics fan with irrational quadrennial interest in Team USA, I’ve been circling the women’s gymnastics competition for some time. It’s always a thrill to watch Simone Biles perform because she executes skills that are literally beyond my imagination.
Unfortunately, as has been well-documented over the past 24 hours, Biles had to drop out of the competition after a vault that was well below her normal capability because she wasn’t in the right mental space. Her teammates rallied for silver, but there was a natural sense of disappointment to miss out on an opportunity to see one of the great athletes in the world on the biggest stage.