American gymnast Simone Biles was golden at the 2024 Summer Olympics, winning a total of three gold medals and one silver medal, helping set new records for her team along the way.
The success of Biles comes after the 2020 Olympics, which saw the gymnast unexpectedly step down for a mental health break, something that now vice-presidential pick J.D. Vance was critical of at the time.
What Happened: Biles was one of the most anticipated athletes making their return to the 2024 Summer Olympics, which have aired on Comcast Corp CMCSA-owned NBC and streamed on Peacock since the games began on July 26.
The American gymnast helped her team win the all-around gymnastics team gold medal and also took home the gold for the individual all-around, adding to her many accomplishments in the Summer Olympics and world competitions. With the medals she has won at the 2024 Olympics, her career total is now seven golds, two silvers and two bronze medals.
Biles is now the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history and has the most gold medals among U.S. gymnasts. The wins at the 2024 Summer Olympics also helped Biles become the oldest all-around champion (27 years of age) in 72 years and the first two-time all-around winner since 1968. Biles is also the first gymnast to ever win the individual all-around eight years apart.
In the 2020 Summer Olympics, Biles unexpectedly dropped out during the team performance, which the U.S. team won a silver medal.
Biles dropped out to focus on her mental health and said she had a case of the twisties, where her body and mind were not aligned, and put an emphasis on her safety over continuing to compete.
The move was praised by many athletes and Biles' sponsors, but a man running for U.S. Senate at the time took exception to the praise for the gymnast.
"I think it reflects poorly on our sort of therapeutic society that we try to praise people, not for moments of strength, not for moments of heroism, but for their weakest moments," J.D. Vance said in an interview at the time.
Vance was critical of how Biles was being perceived by the public.
"We've tried to turn a very tragic moment, Simone Biles quitting the Olympic team, into this act of heroism."
Now the vice-presidential pick for the 2024 election alongside Donald Trump, past comments by Vance have gone viral during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Aida Ross said Vance has no room to talk about "anyone else's weakest moments," as reported by the New York Times.
"While the rest of the country is celebrating the U.S.A. women's gymnastics team's performance at the Olympics, J.D. Vance is facing his weakest moment amid a gaffe-filled rollout that has left him as the most unpopular V.P. pick in decades," Ross said.
Why It's Important: The past criticism from Vance could paint a picture of his lack of support and empathy for those dealing with mental health issues and comes at a time when Olympic athletes are being celebrated.
Biles had therapy sessions with her U.S.-based therapist during the Olympics, according to the report.
"The Olympics is such a draining process for the athletes when it's multiple days of competition, so you definitely have to be on top of your mental, as well as your physical," Biles said.
Biles also said that past negative comments were painful at the time and hurtful, but the people who criticized her are now "really quiet."
"After all these years of putting the mental work in, it's paid off."
While sponsors have dropped athletes for performance issues or for off-the-field issues, Biles saw support from some of her biggest sponsors after dropping out of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
"We stand by Simone and support her well-being both in and out of competition," Athleta said at the time. "Being the best also means knowing how to take care of yourself."
Athleta, which is owned by Gap Inc GPS, landed Biles to a deal in 2021 pulling her away from apparel giant Nike Inc NKE. Biles said at the time that Athleta aligned better with her values and came as the larger apparel company was facing accusations of poor treatment towards female athletes.
Sponsor Visa Inc V also supported Biles after she withdrew from the 2020 games saying the gymnast was "incredibly brave."
Coca-Cola Co KO-owned Core Power said Biles showed that "her courage and strength extend well beyond the mat" at the time.
The brands that stuck by Biles were supportive again in the 2024 Olympics, with Coca-Cola making the gymnast the face of its Powerade brand's Olympic campaign. A commercial called "The Vault," featured Biles navigating challenges and triumphs in life. The Powerade brand put an emphasis on athletes' mental and physical wellbeing with its Olympic sponsorship and launched its "Pause is Power" platform in 2022.
While Vance will either win or lose in the 2024 presidential election, Biles is very much already a winner in 2024 and one of the most celebrated American Olympic athletes ever.
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