Simone Biles was all smiles after nailing her balance-beam routine, which earned her bronze in her Olympic return

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Simone Biles was all smiles after nailing her balance-beam routine, which earned her bronze in her Olympic return
Simone Biles smiles after her balance beam routine at the Tokyo Olympics. JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images
  • Simone Biles made her Tokyo Olympics return Tuesday, winning a bronze medal in the balance beam.
  • She earned a 14.000 score from the judges after executing a clean and solid routine on the beam.
  • The women's gymnastics GOAT was all smiles after overcoming mental-health concerns to compete again.
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Simone Biles is back.

And, perhaps more important, she's all smiles.

The American gymnastics superstar and most accomplished athlete in the history of her sport was radiant Tuesday as she competed in one final event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Simone Biles was all smiles after nailing her balance-beam routine, which earned her bronze in her Olympic return
Biles reacts following her balance beam routine in Tokyo. AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

She had pulled out of five medal events over mental-health concerns and a battle with "the twisties" - a disorienting phenomenon dreaded by gymnasts and divers alike.

Biles overcame it to execute a stunning routine in the balance-beam final. Complete with wolf turns, handsprings, splits, and a double-back pike dismount with a flawless landing, the 24-year-old greatest of all time - or GOAT - made a compelling case to earn a spot on the podium for the second time in Tokyo.

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And she did, in the form of bronze.

Simone Biles was all smiles after nailing her balance-beam routine, which earned her bronze in her Olympic return
Biles poses with her bronze medal from the balance beam final in Tokyo. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Guan Chenchen and Tang Xijing of China won gold and silver with scores of 14.633 and 14.233.

But as NBC's John Roethlisberger proclaimed on the event's broadcast, for Biles, "The medals are secondary."

Biles looked happy, relieved, and vibrant to finish off her Olympics on a high note.

In winning her seventh Olympic medal, Biles tied Shannon Miller as the most decorated American women's Olympic gymnasts and tied Larisa Latynina as the most decorated gymnasts in the sport with 32 medals across the Olympics and the world championships.

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Simone Biles was all smiles after nailing her balance-beam routine, which earned her bronze in her Olympic return
Biles is all smiles. AP Photo/Ashley Landis

The 4-foot-8 star has said these games would be her last Olympics. But this isn't the last we'll see of her; she's set to showcase her skills across the US during her Gold Over America Tour beginning in September.

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