Simone Biles Proved Her Mental Toughness

I have always looked back at Mike Tyson’s first defeat at the hands of journeyman Buster Douglas as the most stunning sports upset that I had ever witnessed. That is, until this week.

Simone Biles has been as close as it gets to automatic in sports. Tom Brady has lost Super Bowls. Mariano Rivera has blown playoff games. But Biles hadn’t lost a major all-around championship in eight years, racking up 30 medals — including the four golds she won at the 2016 Olympics. It was assumed, going into Tokyo, that everybody else was competing for silver. We were watching not to find out whether she would win — for everyone assumed that she would — but simply to marvel at her dominance. To be sure, it was always possible that she would have an off day, or a stumble, as was the case when she ended up with bronze in the 2016 balance-beam finals. But Biles always seemed to have ice water running through her veins. To drop out because she couldn’t get herself in the right place mentally was unimaginable until it happened.

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Philip Klein

Philip Klein is the editor of National Review Online.

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I have always looked back at Mike Tyson’s first defeat at the hands of journeyman Buster Douglas as the most stunning sports upset that I had ever witnessed. That is, until this week.

Simone Biles has been as close as it gets to automatic in sports. Tom Brady has lost Super Bowls. Mariano Rivera has blown playoff games. But Biles hadn’t lost a major all-around championship in eight years, racking up 30 medals — including the four golds she won at the 2016 Olympics. It was assumed, going into Tokyo, that everybody else was competing for silver. We were watching not to find out whether she would win — for everyone assumed that she would — but simply to marvel at her dominance. To be sure, it was always possible that she would have an off day, or a stumble, as was the case when she ended up with bronze in the 2016 balance-beam finals. But Biles always seemed to have ice water running through her veins. To drop out because she couldn’t get herself in the right place mentally was unimaginable until it happened.