Simone Biles feeling Olympic pressure

Simone Biles feels she has the “weight of the world” on her shoulders.

The 24-year-old gymnast – who has won four golds and one bronze in previous Olympics – got off to a shaky start at Tokyo 2020 on Sunday (25.07.21) after being penalised for errors in the floor and vault during the preliminary round and though she’s feeling the pressure, she’s focusing on a “fresh start” for the all-around and individual finals.

She posted on Instagram: “Prelims [done] now to prepare for finals. It wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it.

“I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The Olympics is no joke!”

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But Simone was thankful to have been able to speak to her family in the US and know that she has their support.

She added: “BUT I’m happy my family was able to be with me virtually [heart emoji] they mean the world to me!()”

The Olympian received a number of supportive comments.

Sprinter Allyson Felix wrote: “We are all so proud of you already! You are authentically enough. You got this.”

And veteran gymnast and NBC analyst Nastia Liukin shared her support for Simone and the rest of Team USA on her own Instagram Story.

She wrote: “I feel like at times, people forget that even the very best in the world are still human – with hearts, nerves, pain, stress, anxiety, pressure.

“So let’s continue to spread our love and support to our athletes who are doing something SO difficult already, and then having to also handle the weight of an entire nation and world on their shoulders during a pandemic without fans. AND their number one supporters, their family ()”