The saga of gymnast Simone Biles's stint at the Tokyo Olympics took a triumphant turn yesterday with her medal-winning return to competition after withdrawing last week amid health concerns.
To celebrate her return, a moving tribute featuring the music and narration of recording artist Taylor Swift was shown on NBC last night to herald the athlete's strength and bravery.
Perhaps no one was as moved as Biles herself, who posted a heartfelt thank you to Swift on Twitter, seen below. And soon, the two were exchanging tweets that hit everyone right in the feels.
I\u2019m crying how special. I love you @taylorswift13https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1422678915915583489\u00a0\u2026— Simone Biles (@Simone Biles) 1628030014
The tribute Swift participated in certainly tugs the heart strings. In it, Swift ruminates on the nature of "heroes" and highlights Biles's strength and humanity by alluding to the firestorm of criticism and outright bullying she has endured the past week following her withdrawal from competition.
That context made Biles's return to competition yesterday all the more emotional, as she executed a near flawless balance beam routine.
Because of the mental health issues she has been dealing with—especially "the twisties," a dangerous gymnastics issue where the mind and body are not in sync, increasing the likelihood of injury—Biles had to amend her dismount, which resulted in point deductions.
But that didn't stop Biles from taking home some hardware, as she won the bronze medal for her return performance.
Count Swift among those moved to tears by Biles's comeback. She replied to Biles's tweet with a heartfelt tribute.
I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you.https://twitter.com/simone_biles/status/1422687112424419329\u00a0\u2026— Taylor Swift (@Taylor Swift) 1628031260
Telling Biles that she "cried watching YOU," Swift praised Biles's "resilience."
"I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you."
Can you excuse us, please? We have something in our eyes...*sniff*
On Twitter, the two's exchange had everyone in their feels.
I\u2019m not crying, you\u2019re crying https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1422692337499660290\u00a0\u2026— Scott \ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc9b (@Scott \ud83d\udc9b\ud83d\udc9b) 1628041020
I BELIEVE IN TAYLOR SWIFT AND SIMONE BILES SUPREMACY— haley\ud83c\udf3c (@haley\ud83c\udf3c) 1628031304
Legends supporting legends.— josiah (~\u02d8\u25be\u02d8)~ (@josiah (~\u02d8\u25be\u02d8)~) 1628030038
I'm crying watching this exchange https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1422692337499660290\u00a0\u2026— Nikki \ud83c\udf45 (@Nikki \ud83c\udf45) 1628057180
queen suporting queen— mery is happier than ever (@mery is happier than ever) 1628030139
the way i\u2019m crying rnpic.twitter.com/BWYZ9TpEPi— Liz Bissonette (@Liz Bissonette) 1628031315
I LOVE YOU TWO SO MUCH SHUT UPpic.twitter.com/G0Q14ytjsS— liz (taylor\u2019s version) (@liz (taylor\u2019s version)) 1628031349
With her bronze medal win last night, Biles is now tied with Shannon Miller as the most successful women's gymnast in Olympics history. In terms of gold medals, she wins handily: four to Miller's two.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
