Hundreds gather to welcome Simone Biles home from Tokyo Olympics
SPRING, Texas - Hundreds of fans gathered to welcome home American gymnast Simone Biles in her home town of Spring, Texas on Aug. 5.
In a video taken by Christopher Gunter, Biles and fellow Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles were greeted by a crowd lined up in a parade as the pair of Olympians drove into the Houston suburb where Biles and Chiles both live and train.
Biles was sitting on top of a convertible waving to the crowd and shouting, "Thank you! Love you guys!" with Chiles greeting fans behind her.
RELATED: Simone Biles reveals she was dealing with family tragedy while at Tokyo Olympics
Biles headlined this year’s Olympics after claiming five gold medals during the 2020 Rio Olympic Games. After a turbulent start on day one of team competition, Biles withdrew from the team gymnastics finals and individual all-around events, citing mental health concerns.
Biles said she was suffering from the "twisties" and other mental roadblocks. It was later revealed that Biles was grieving the death of a family member during competition. She pulled out of the finals to protect herself and her team.
Simone Biles was welcomed home by hundreds of fans.
Chiles stepped in for the absent Biles in the uneven bars and balance beam in the team all-around finals. The Russian Olympic Committee narrowly edged out the United States for the gold medal in the team all-around event.
But Biles returned on the final day of individual gymnastics competition to compete in the women’s balance beam final. With a simplified performance, unlike her usual complex death-defying routines, Biles won the bronze medal and finished her routine with a beaming smile.
RELATED: Simone Biles wins bronze medal on beam in return to Olympics competition
Biles also took home a silver medal with the women’s team performance.
With her seven Olympic medals, Biles is now tied with Shannon Miller for the most career Olympic medals as an American gymnast.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.