With the Olympics just three days away, there is a new twist to the tale to put Simone Biles‘s mind “at ease.” The last say on whether she would want to compete in all four events in the team final will be on the 4x Olympic gold medalist. But there’s more; hear it from The Washington Post’s Emily Giambalvo who interviewed Chellsie Memmel, the technical lead for the U.S. women, on Tuesday.  

After her scintillating display in the US Olympic trials and seventh straight team title at the gymnastics world championships last year, Biles, who was deemed the frontrunner to win the all-around medal this year, buck now stops with Simone Biles to take a decision. At this point in time, according to The Washington Post, Biles is kept wrapped up in cotton wool as she likely won’t speak to the media until the events are over.

Coach Cecile Landi had a special conversation with Memmel about the best way to delegate the expectations set on Biles to perform all four events apart from the individual all-around and qualifying. Memmel responded, “Absolutely. If that’s what she needs to continue to be at her best for her team and for herself, then that’s what we’re going to do. Because there are still four other members on our team.”  

With Russia still banned from participating in the Olympics, and considering how Biles’s team registered a team final win last year quite convincingly (a 2-point upper edge from their Brazilian runner-up) at the World Artistic Championship, all hopes are not lost. If memory serves us right, it wasn’t all bells and whistles then either. Joscelyn Roberson had to call it quits prematurely due to a leg injury during warm-up. This meant that defending all-around gold champion Suni Lee had to substitute for her in the vault as well as the floor. Biles opted out of performing the Yurchenko double pike, leading to a lower score than what was expected. But again, here’s the catch.

Memmel revealed that the option for Simone Biles to opt out from any of the all-around final events was presented to her last year as well. Only Simone didn’t back off. Regardless, it is unquestionably a rare yet overbearing pressure cut out for Biles. Memmel, in her own words, said, “That’s where it’s like that double-edged sword for Simone, where she wants to be able to help but also wants to be able to be at her best.”

Biles, who had to withdraw from several events at Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to “twisties”, has had a miraculous comeback with the support of her family, teammates, her coach Cecili Landi, and her fans’ love. Heading into the Olympics as the oldest Team USA captain at 27, Biles had said that this was her “redemption tour.” However, while praising Simone for her strong presence on the mat after her hiatus, Memmel made it clear that the team is not solely relying on Simone at the big games. But how does it all look like in practice?

Team USA is putting the best foot forward to accommodate Simone Biles

Coach meetings, regular checks, and limited media exposure are certainly some measures that have been undertaken already. But Memmel outlined another aspect that would allow the pressure to dissipate, “We’re not going to make any final lineup decisions or change lineups or anything that we have from the tentative lineup that we have set until after podium.”

Cecile – who has coached Biles since 2017 along with her husband Laurant – has put in their all to make sure Biles is the greatest gymnast and continues to be so. “It’s not the athlete that needs to adjust to the coaches,” Laurent Landi said. “The coaches need to adjust to the athletes and the athlete’s abilities.”

Biles, who is returning to her third career Games, will be accompanied by experienced Olympians such as gold medalist Jade Carey (floor), silver medalist Jordan Chiles (team all-around), and gold medalist Sunisa Lee (individual all-around), and 16-year-old debutant Hezly Rivera. More than lessening the gripping pressure to fall on Biles, Memmel and her team trust the entire team to perform. was quoted by Eurosport. “I want them to get through this and be happy, healthy, and proud of what they accomplish no matter what the outcome is. I want them to be proud and to look back and say I’m so glad I had this experience.”

With the team making such positive strides, it remains to be seen whether Biles decides to compete in all four team final events. Share your thoughts with us in the comments.