Sports Wednesday, July 28, 2021 • Page 8 Biles withdraws from gymnastics final to protect team, self will graves U.S. Olympic and Para- ap sports writer lympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland applauded TOKYO (AP) — Simone Biles for prioritizing her Biles arrived in Tokyo as the “mental wellness over all star of the U.S. Olympic else” and offered the orga- movement and perhaps the nization’s full support. USA Games themselves. She con- Gymnastics women’s pro- vinced herself she was pre- gram vice-president called pared for the pressure. That Biles’ act “incredibly self- she was ready to carry the less.” burden of outsized expecta- Biles posted on social me- tions. dia Monday that she felt the Only, as the women’s weight of the world on her gymnastics team final ap- shoulders after an uncharac- proached on Tuesday night, teristically sloppy showing something felt off. And the during qualifying left the athlete widely considered Americans looking up at the the Greatest of All Time in ROC on the scoreboard. her sport knew it. The tension affected her So rather than push practice. It affected her through the doubts that confidence. And when she crept into her head as she’s stepped onto the vault run- done so many times in the way, it finally found its way past, Biles decided enough to her performance, too. was enough. She was done. She was scheduled to do an For now. “Amanar” vault that requires The American star with- a roundoff back handspring drew from the competi- onto the table followed by 2 Texas State junior guard Caleb Asberry (No. 2) draws a foul driving to the hoop inside Strahan Arena The Bobcats are set to play tion following one rotation, 1/2 twists. Biles instead did in 18 Sun Belt games during the 2021-22 season. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo opening the door for the just 1 1/2 twists with a big team of Russian athletes to leap forward after landing. win gold for the first time in She sat down and talked to nearly three decades. U.S. team doctor Marcia Sun Belt releases men’s basketball Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee Faustin, then headed to the and Grace McCallum guid- back while the rest of the ed the U.S. to silver while Americans moved on to un- conference schedule for 2021-22 Biles cheered from the side- even bars without her. line in a white sweatsuit, at When Biles returned peace with a decision that several minutes later, she drew king first road games against 27. The maroon and gold and Little Rock on Feb. revealed a shift not only in hugged her teammates and sports editor Georgia Southern and will then host three road 19. They’ll close the year Biles but perhaps the sport took off her bar grips. And Georgia State on Jan. 6 games against the Maver- out on the road at South she’s redefined. just like that, her night was The Sun Belt released and Jan. 8, respectively. icks on Jan. 29, Appala- Alabama on Feb. 24 and “We also have to focus over. the men’s basketball con- It’ll return home the next chian State on Feb. 3 and at Troy on Feb. 26. on ourselves, because at the “To see her kind of go out ference schedule for the week for games against Coastal Carolina on Feb. Texas State went 12-3 in end of the day we’re human, like that is very sad because 2021-22 season on Tues- Louisiana-Monroe and 5. Sun Belt play last season too,” Biles said. “So, we have this Olympic Games, I feel day. Louisiana on Jan. 13 and The Bobcats return to and will look to defend to protect our mind and our like, is kind of hers,” Lee Texas State begins league 15, respectively. the road to face the Ra- their regular season cham- body, rather than just go out said. play inside Strahan Arena Texas State moves on gin’ Cajuns on Feb. 10 pionship this year. there and do what the world Biles is scheduled to de- on Dec. 30 against Troy. with three consecutive and the Warhawks on wants us to do.” fend her Olympic title in The Bobcats follow it up road games against Little Feb. 12. Their final home dking The Americans — fueled the all-around final on with a home game against Rock on Jan. 20, Arkan- games of the regular sea- @sanmarcosrecord.com by an uneven bars routine Thursday. She also qualified South Alabama on Jan. 1. sas State on Jan. 22 and son take place against the Twitter: @drewking0222 by Lee that not even Biles for all four event finals later The team plays in its UT Arlington on Jan. Red Wolves on Feb. 17 could match — drew with- in the Games. She said she in eight-tenths of a point will regroup on Wednesday through three rotations. before deciding whether to ROC, however, never wa- continue. vered on floor. And they Biles’ abrupt absence Big 12’s Texas, Oklahoma make request erupted when 21-year-old forced the Americans to Angelina Melnikova’s score scramble a bit. The finals assured them of the top spot are a three-up/three-count to join powerhouse SEC on the podium for the first format, meaning each coun- time since the Unified Team try enters three of their four won in Barcelona in 1992. athletes on an apparatus, ralph d. russo ference’s billion-dollar tion to its member schools with Missouri in the SEC’s ap college football The victory came a day af- with all three scores count- writer television deals with ESPN to about $67 million per most recent expansion. ter ROC men’s team edged ing. and Fox. year. A&M initially voiced con- Japan for the top spot in the Chiles stepped in to take Texas and Oklahoma “The events of recent The Big 12 was ap- cerns about allowing an men’s final. Great Britain Biles’ place on uneven bars made a request Tuesday days have verified that proaching distributions in-state rival to join the edged Italy for bronze. and balance beam. The to join the powerhouse the two schools have been of $40 million per school conference, but athletic di- “The impossible is possible 20-year-old who made the Southeastern Conference, contemplating and plan- before the pandemic led to rector Ross Bjork has since now,” Melnikova said. team with her steady consis- with SEC Commissioner ning for the transition for distributions dropping to suggested his school would Perhaps in more ways than tency pulled off a solid bars Greg Sankey saying the months and this formal $34.5 million per school not shy away from added one. routine and drilled her bal- league would consider it in application is the culmi- this year. competition. In the five years since Biles ance beam set two days after the “near future.” nation of those processes,” The news broke last The boards of regents at and the U.S. put on a daz- falling twice on the event. A day after the Big 12 Big 12 Commissioner Bob week at SEC Media Days Texas and Oklahoma each zling display on their way Thanks in part to a little schools notified the league Bowlsby said in a state- in Hoover, Alabama, that announced Tuesday that to gold in Rio de Janeiro, help from ROC — which that they would not be ex- ment. Texas and Oklahoma, the meetings would be con- gymnastics has undergone counted a pair of falls on tending an agreement that Joining another confer- Big 12’s flagships univer- vened Friday with confer- a reckoning. The tectonic beam — the U.S. drew binds conference mem- ence before the grant of sities, had been discuss- ence affiliation on both the plates in a sport where obe- within striking distance bers to 2025, the schools rights expires would cost ing a possible move with agendas. dience, discipline and si- heading to floor, the final publicly stated for the first the schools tens of mil- Southeastern Conference The Big 12 was created lence were long considered rotation. time they want to join the lions of dollars per year in officials. The Houston from a merger of sorts be- as important as talent and Without Biles and her SEC. relinquished revenue and Chronicle was first to re- tween the Big Eight and artistry are moving. otherworldly tumbling, the Oklahoma and Texas sent possibly exit penalties. port the intended jump, Southwestern Conference Biles has become an out- U.S. needed to be near per- a joint letter to Sankey, re- Competing in the con- but neither the schools nor in 1994 and began play spoken advocate for athlete’s fect to close the gap. It didn’t questing “invitations for ference as a lame duck for the SEC would publicly in 1996. Texas and Okla- rights and the importance of happen. Chiles stumbled membership to the South- four more seasons doesn’t confirm the parties had homa are the conference’s proper mental health. There to the mat at the end of eastern Conference start- benefit the schools and been in discussions. most notable brands. They was a time, there were many her second pass, and any ing on July 1, 2025.” isn’t ideal for the Big 12, “While the SEC has not have the richest and most times actually, where she chance the U.S. had of chas- “We believe that there either. If the conference is proactively sought new successful athletic depart- felt she wasn’t right and just ing down ROC went right would be mutual benefit to going to survive, it needs members, we will pursue ments, and they are the powered through because along with it.