Canadian gymnast Ellie Black competes in the balance beam during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Sunday, July 25, 2021. Photo by Leah Hennel/COC
Nova Scotia gymnast Ellie Black of Halifax has finished just off the podium in the women’s balance beam final at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 25-year-old made a comeback at the summer games on Tuesday morning after she was forced to withdraw from the all-around event due to a sprained ankle last week.
Team Canada confirmed her return on Monday. Black took 4th place with a score of 13.866, her best-ever Olympic result.
She finished just behind American athlete Simone Biles who claimed the Bronze medal.
Biles also just returned to the games. She missed the individual all-around final to take time to focus on her health due to a mental block known as the “twisties.”
That’s a phenomenon where a gymnast is unable to do a twisting skill because the brain loses track of where the body is in the air, finding the ground only when the athlete strikes it.
China’s 16-year-old Guan Chenchen and 18-year-old Tang Xijing won Gold and Silver respectively.
