There’s a problem with the way some people are talking about the fact that the United States’ women’s gymnastics team winning silver in the all-around on Tuesday.
Yes, Simone Biles pulled out after her first vault attempt. But the rest of the team — Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Grace McCallum — picked up without her and put together a remarkable performance to win a silver medal.
Do you know how hard it is to be second in the world in the top competition in the world, especially with the sudden change of Biles’ absence? Chiles delivered a great reminder about how to think about this. In an interview with NBC’s Maria Taylor in which the trio broke down their reactions to when Biles was out, she had this to say:
"In our minds, we didn't just get silver, we WON silver."@MariaTaylor interviews @sunisalee_, @ChilesJordan, and @grace_mccallum2 after the gymnastics team final. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/JYCibaIVhy
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2021
“We still got a medal for the United States of America. For the medal count, it’s a huge thing, but in our minds, this silver medal is a gold medal. We didn’t just get silver, we won silver … we did this to show, no matter who you are, no matter the circumstances, if you put people who know what they’re doing out onto that floor, they can succeed and fulfill what they need to do.”
Exactly.
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