TOKYO, Japan — In a newly released promo for Tuesday night’s Tokyo Olympics balance beam finals on NBC, singer Taylor Swift lends her voice-- and her music-- to praise gymnast Simone Biles on her perseverance and strength amid mental health struggles.
Biles, who last week withdrew from the gymnastic team finals as well as the individual floor, uneven bars, and vault finals, cited her mental health as a reason for pulling out, and stated at the time she was experiencing a case of the “twisties.”
In the video posted to Twitter Tuesday, Swift’s song This Is Me Trying can be heard quietly playing behind broadcast discussions of Biles' exit from several Tokyo competitions.
“Her voice has been as significant as her talents. Her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that has long been her signature. @taylorswift13 gets us ready to watch @simone_biles on the beam," NBC Olympics captioned the tweet with the promo.
Biles immediately thanked Swift on Twitter, quoting the tweet and writing “I’m crying how special. I love you @taylorswift13.”
Of course, the Shake It Off singer quoted Biles’ tweet, sharing a message of solidarity and love for the gymnast’s candor and strength over the past several weeks.
“I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you."
You can watch Biles perform in the balance beam finals on NBC at 8 p.m. eastern.