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Simone Biles says her bronze medal 'feels so neglected' because she won 4 golds at the 2016 Olympics

Jun 23, 2021, 20:39 IST
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Simone Biles poses with her bronze medal from the 2016 Olympics. Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
  • Simone Biles won five Olympic medals - five golds and one bronze - at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
  • In "Simone vs Herself" Episode 2, the superstar gymnast said "nobody recognizes" that bronze medal.
  • Biles reflected on that third-place balance beam finish and the public disappointment that followed.
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Simone Biles wants everyone to know that she has five Olympic medals.

The superstar American gymnast won four golds and one bronze during her breakout performance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. And during the second episode of her Facebook Watch docuseries, "Simone vs Herself," Biles says people constantly overlook that bronze medal - which she earned thanks to a third-place finish on the balance beam.

Simone Biles performs on the beam during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

"I came out of 2016 with five medals, but nobody recognizes that medal," Biles said. "So every time I go somewhere, [people say] 'four-time gold medalist.' But I have five medals!"

"My bronze feels so neglected," she added.

During the episode, Biles also reflected on the public's disappointment with that performance on the beam during her first Olympic games. The then-19-year-old famously slipped during the exercise and grabbed the beam with her hands to maintain her balance, taking on a major point deduction by doing so.

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Simone Biles on the balance beam. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Even still, Biles finished out the routine well enough to earn a spot on the podium. And she was happy with that result, she says. It was everyone else who expressed disappointment.

"In 2016, although I would say I'm doing it for myself, I really was terrified of what everyone else was going to think," Biles said. "I remember finishing beam. I was super excited, but at the end of the day I was pissed because people were mad that I didn't get gold."

"And I was still happy with my bronze, but I couldn't be happy, because nobody else was happy for me," she added. "And so I just felt alone in that aspect."

Simone Biles competes on the beam during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Biles will see to it that this summer's games - which are set to begin in Tokyo next month - will be different in that regard.

"Now, going into this year, this time is really for me," she said. "I don't have to prove anything to anybody, and that feels nice."

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Check out the full episode of "Simone vs Herself" below:

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