Biles has said that as soon as she landed her shaky vault, she knew she would face harsh criticism for deciding to withdraw from the competition. In a June interview with TODAY prior to the Paris Olympics, the gymnast expressed confidence in the upcoming Games and said that now she is “a little bit older, more mature” and that therapy has been a great help to her over the past few years.
“I think before I was kind of pushing down my trauma, and now I’ve learned to speak on it and kind of release that,” she said. “I think we used to think of therapy as a weakness, and now I think of it as a strength.”
The women’s team indeed appeared confident and relaxed during finals Tuesday. They gave outstanding performances with few hiccups and won the gold medal handily with a lead of 5.802 points.
When Biles bowed out of the Olympics in 2021, Watson posted that he was praying for her and was “proud of her leadership and courage.” In his post Wednesday morning, he said, “Congratulations to the GOAT. You have impacted all of us far beyond the beauty of the sport.”
Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor of Anacostia River Church in Washington D.C., replied to Watson, “It’s the visible and brilliant joy for me.”
