Li was supposed to kick off the vault with both hands and flip into a double twist, but an early mistake meant the double twist didn’t go as planned. Li instead did just a one-and-a-half twist and “put my hips under pressure,” she said.
Simone Biles saw what happened during Li’s first performance of the night and immediately felt empathy, as she headed into the arena tunnel to gather herself and figure out her next steps, with Biles accompanying her.
“I’ve been in her position,” Biles said. “I’ve done the exact same thing, and I know how traumatic it can be, especially on a big stage like this.”
Biles was, of course, referring to her own failed vault in the team final at the Tokyo Olympics, which she blamed on a mental block known as a “twistie,” a condition in which a gymnast feels lost in the air. Biles attempted a two-and-a-half-turn twist but got stuck mid-air and only completed one-and-a-half. Li’s trouble at nationals on Sunday night was a little different; it was due to a strange approach to the vault that she described as “a random, freak occurrence.” And yet the results were eerily similar.
“I knew she needed encouragement and someone who trusted and believed in her gymnastics,” Biles said.
The two Olympians exchanged a brief conversation, with Biles asking if Li had gotten lost in the air and encouraging her not to overthink her moves. (When Li later explained what happened, she said the accident occurred while she was running, and that “I didn’t know where I was.”) [in the air]but I knew exactly where I was, if that makes sense.”
Lee recalled that Biles “made sure I was mentally OK before I went onstage and told me if I was unsure when I got off, to just let it be,” and then asked Biles to stand close to her during her next performance, a bar routine.
The timing worked: Li was second on bars in her second rotation and Biles was last on floor, so Biles went to the other side of the arena to cheer Li on as she performed her routine on her specialty. Li was amazing: She floated through the air on four consecutive release elements, each one a masterful execution of her specialty, and concluded her routine with a full-twisting double tuck dismount.
“I don’t think I could have done this without her,” Lee said.
Li earned a score of 14.500, but still has room to improve her difficulty score before the Olympic Trials. After the vault, Li said all she needed was a confidence boost, and that Biles, her coaching staff and medical staff got her out of trouble.
Li is an Olympic all-around champion, but he’s not invincible. He’s had a tough year with kidney-related health issues, and this was his first time competing in all four events at the elite level since the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. So he took some relief when he fumbled on the vault in his first rotation, resulting in a one-point deduction for the fall, adding to the psychological toll.
“Usually I just watch and make sure the music is good and stuff and that’s the most stressful part of the day,” Graba said, “but on days like today, I have to actually coach. I have to get to know the players. They have to trust me. And you have to do the right thing so that next time they’ll trust me.”
Li knows that the balance beam and balance pole are the most important events in her quest to qualify for a second Olympic Games — that’s where she can help the U.S. team the most. So while Li rallied on the beam with Biles’ help, she needed another strong performance on the beam.
In her next rotation, Li effortlessly completed her balance beam routine. Her precision elevated her performance, and her 14.900 on Sunday was the highest balance beam score of the competition. (Biles won the apparatus title with a higher overall score over the two days, while Li took silver.) With each successful balance beam routine, Li is one step closer to making the team for Paris.
After an amazing balance beam routine, Graba told Lee, “That’s who you are.”
Graba said she was never overly nervous; Li knew she just needed to calm down after the vault. Li still struggles with confidence at times. But despite her recent health issues, lack of preparation and her blunder on vault, she finished fourth in the all-around, and the early mistake made her resilience all the more impressive.
“Everything could go against her,” Graba said, “and I’m always betting on her.”
