LYNCHBURG, Va. – It was a shocking Tuesday morning in the United States when fans woke up to find the nation’s most decorated gymnast of all time withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics team final competition.
A short time ago the team at Dynamic Gymnastics in Lynchburg watched Simone Biles compete at Olympic Trials. Like many, they were looking forward to watching her on the big stage.
Athletes have been training at Dynamic Gymnastics for nearly a decade. Many say they look up to Biles. While they were sad to hear the news, they understand the demand of the sport and that an athlete’s health always comes first.
“Gymnastics is not only a physical sport, it’s a very mental sport,” Dynamic Gymnastics Co-Owner Brandon Sloan says. “You’re doing skills where if you forget what you’re doing in the middle of the air, you can get seriously hurt and you can injure yourself. They have to be physically strong, you have to be mentally strong.”
The U.S. women’s team was able to bring home a silver medal without Biles. It’s still unclear if she will be competing in her individual events, but those with Dynamic Gymnastics say they sure hope so.