Olympic moment of the day: Simone Biles, alone on the floor, completes an incredible comeback

Paris CNN —

It was everything she could have ever hoped it would be.

Three years after pulling out of the team gymnastics final, Simone Biles was alone once more at the Olympics. But the vibes could not be more different.

The final performer of the night, Biles took to the floor to clinch the gold for Team USA. After years of trying to relive that night in Tokyo, the first notes of a Taylor Swift song rang through the Bercy Arena to start her routine.

Biles was ready for it.

Her typical magic combination of grace, power and speed made for an iconic moment that will live on in gymnastics and Olympics lore. She nailed everything she went for. Even when she slightly stumbled, there was no breaking her stride.

“I kind of knew as long as I landed on my feet on all passes, we were going to be good. So as soon as I stepped out of bounds, I was like, ‘Well, there’s a line…. I guess … it’s not that big of a deal,’” she said.

It was a performance for the ages under the brightest of lights for a performer who has faced more scrutiny than any normal human could bear to stand. But what the 4-foot-8-inch Biles lacks in height, she more than makes up for in heart and, after years of therapy and working on herself, mental toughness.

“At the beginning of the day, I started off with therapy this morning so that was super exciting. And then I told her I was feeling calm and ready,” Biles said of her preparations for Tuesday night. “And that’s kind of exactly what happened.”

But, in a sign of her normality amid abnormal performances, Biles said Tokyo was never far from her mind.

“After I finished vault, I was relieved. I was like, ‘Wooo, because please, no flashbacks or anything,’” she said. “But I did feel a lot of relief. And as