Two teammates on the American gymnastics team that just won the gold medal, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, will make history Thursday when they compete for the women’s individual all-around title.



Ms. Biles, 27, won gold in the all-around event in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, while Ms. Lee earned gold at the Tokyo Games. When they compete Thursday night at Paris, they’ll become the first former gold medal winners entered in the same all-round event. 



Win or lose, the American duo stands as a symbol of fortitude and courage that will last far beyond the 2024 Summer Olympics.



With a victory, Ms. Biles would become the oldest woman to capture gold in the women’s all-around since Maria Gorokhovskaya did it at age 30 at the 1952 Olympics at Helsinki. Ms. Lee is looking to become the third woman to successfully defend her title.



Yet, there is much more meaning in their pairing. Athletes struggling with mental health issues or serious physical issues can look to Ms. Biles and Ms. Lee for encouragement that things can get not only better but even surpass their expectations.



It’s a remarkable matchup considering the idea of either athlete competing at the Paris Olympics seemed in serious doubt two years ago. Ms. Biles was recovering from mental health issues that forced her to pull out of the women’s gymnastics competition at Tokyo. Meanwhile, Ms. Lee was dealing with serious kidney issues that caused her to gain 45 pounds and prematurely end her collegiate career at Auburn.



Fast-forward to Tuesday night at Paris, where the two stood together with their teammates to celebrate winning the gold medal in the women’s team competition. Their quest in Paris was called “the Redemption Tour” after the team settled for a silver medal in the recent Olympics at Tokyo following gold medal efforts in the 2012 Games at London and again in 2016 at Rio.



The Americans got their redemption as a team and as individuals. After Ms. Lee set the tone with strong routines on the beam and uneven bars, Ms. Biles, the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time, sealed the American team victory with a brilliant floor routine that featured the difficult spins and twists that set a new standard for the sport.



With her husband, a Chicago Bears safety, Jonathan Owens, cheering from the stands, Ms. Biles endured a heavily taped left calf to post a score of 14.666 and put the Americans easily ahead of Italy, which took the silver, and Brazil, which claimed the bronze.



Competing in her third Olympics, Ms. Biles now has eight Olympic medals — five gold — and a combined 38 world and Olympic medals.



While that will always be part of her legacy, her outspokenness on mental health issues might prove far more important. She has taught athletes the importance of putting their mental health above the expectations of others.



In Tokyo, she suffered what’s called “twisties,” the inability or lack of confidence to execute a required spin and particular maneuver. It forced her to pull out of the team competition. “I seriously cannot comprehend how to twist,” Ms. Biles <a href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/simone-biles-said-shes-struggling-with-the-twisties-what-does-that-mean/37180128#">said</a> at the time.



Golfers who suddenly develop the yips or the shanks and become terrified of a golf club might be able to identify. Yet critics labeled Ms. Biles a quitter and questioned her commitment to her Olympic teammates at Tokyo.



In reality, she advanced the awareness of athletes and mental health to where it is openly discussed without judgment or stigma. Now just about every professional and many college athletic programs employ psychologists and counselors to treat their athletes.



“Tokyo gave us the opportunity to open up that stage for that talk,” Ms. Biles <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/07/19/simone-biles-mental-health-gymnastics/74454444007/">told reporters</a> at the Olympic Trials. “And so I think now athletes are a little bit more in tune, and we trust what our gut is saying and just taking mental health a little bit more serious.”



Ms. Lee is a model of fortitude in her own right, having overcome a serious kidney disease that caused her to gain 45 pounds. The illness ended her college career at Auburn and put in doubt her ability to defend her all-around gold medal from Tokyo.&nbsp;



“I’m so glad I never gave up,” Ms. Lee <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyxpqRw_Mo">said</a> at the Olympic Trials. “There were so many times when I thought about quitting and walking away from the sport because I didn’t think I’d ever get to this point. I’m so glad I had people around me who kept me motivated and helped me through the hard times.”



On Thursday, Ms. Biles and Ms. Lee compete for the gold medal as individuals. A win by either American would give America the gold for a sixth straight Olympics and a record seventh time overall.



Together they served to inspire a nation.

Gold medalists Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, and Hezly Rivera celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team Final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. 

Teammates Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee Have Captured Gold — Now They Will Face Off in Historic Battle

While Biles's success at the Olympics will always be part of her legacy, her outspokenness on mental health issues might prove far more important.

Teammates Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee Have Captured Gold — Now They Will Face Off in Historic Battle | The New York Sun

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Teammates Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee Have Captured Gold — Now They Will Face Off in Historic Battle

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