• Report The aftermath of the Nassar case and the cage that oppresses Simone Biles

  • Opinion The vulnerability that humanizes Biles

It was cold in the Ariake Gymnastics Center, very cold, despite the heat of Tokyo, because

Simone Biles

was not in competition and, without the fire of the story, reality appeared at low temperature. The organization of the Tokyo Games likes to demand the maximum from the air conditioning and in the previous days it was not noticeable, the events heated up, but yesterday you had to go and find a jacket, even two. Biles herself appeared in the pavilion to see the entire contest and, with her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt, she pretended to shiver with her partner and friend

Jordan Chiles

. Upon his arrival there was a certain uproar, the technicians present in the stands applauded him and they looked for the cameras and photographers, but after a few minutes the scratch came.

And with it, silence. Called to be one of the brightest moments of these Games, the

all-around

was played in an environment more typical of a training session. From the press stands you could listen to Russian technicians, with a resounding voice, giving instructions to theirs and only the music of the exercises offered ambientillo: now a machine version of

Bella Ciao

, now an orchestral version

of

Ed Sheeran's

Shape of You

... Only when the best, the Americans

Sunisa Lee

and

Jade Carey

-the substitute of Biles yesterday-, the Russians

Vladislava Urazova

and

Angelina Mekinov

to or the Brazilian

Rebeca Andrade

, they played the podium, a certain tension was noticed.

In the last moves the medals were decided and every mortal, every reception counted.

Without Biles, but also without his friend

Aly Raisman

and without the Russian

Aliya Mustafina

In other words, without the podium inhabitants at the Rio 2016 Games, the glory floated around the other gymnasts and Sunisa Lee grabbed it hard.

Precisely the substitute for Biles in Tuesday's team competition became his successor as champion of everything and the equipment remains to know if, sooner or later, she will reach her weight in gymnastics and in the media.

It would be weird.

Lee is a specialist in uneven bars, a device that is more technical and difficult for the public to understand than the rack or the ground, and her acrobatics do not border on the superhuman like Biles's.

She is very young, 18 years old, and she is an excellent gymnast, of course, but Biles is Biles.

Although Lee also has an interesting story.

With hmong roots

With Hmong roots, a nomadic people from South Asia, her parents came to the United States with children from Laos and met when Sunisa was already two years old.

Yeev Thoj

was a single mother until she paired with

John Lee

and the two raised the new champion to the point that it was she, as a teenager, who decided to take her stepfather's last name. John discovered gymnastics by doing somersaults before diving into the pool and John accompanied him to all competitions until two years ago, due to a bad fall on some stairs, he froze. Since then, before going out to compete Sunisa Lee calls John on Facetime and he tries to reassure her: "You don't do this for your friends, you don't do this for the Hmong community. You do it for yourself. That should be your only goal."

They also spoke yesterday, Sunisa Lee confessed, that in the mixed zone, already with gold around her neck, she asked for a change of jacket to combat the cold. It was his great moment and he enjoyed it, but again he saw how the focus was elsewhere. "Will Simone Biles compete in the finals for apparatus? Will she at least be on the floor?" United States journalists asked those responsible for USA Gymnastics and none of them released any pledge beyond naming the "daily exams" to which they Biles submits. For some, their attitude yesterday in the stands, much more restrained, never standing, never shouting, limiting their celebrations to a few simple applause, were a sign of their discomfort and their inability to compete in just a few hours, that is, the Sunday (foal and uneven bars), Monday (ground) and Tuesday (balance beam).For others, none of that.

Even Lee, after several questions, was questioned about whether he had spoken with Biles and about his possible return to competition in Tokyo.

"Simone is an example for me, I have admired her every day of my life. She inspires me not only as a gymnast but also as an athlete, as she has shown these days. I love her," the new champion of the full contest proclaimed as best she could and left to the changing rooms.

It was cold, very cold in the Ariake Gymnastics Center, without Biles the gym is already pulling.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

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