Gymnastics events require dangerous, almost unreal maneuvers. Were Biles to go out there lacking confidence — were she to spin out of control — there could be serious consequences. It is not an overstatement to warn that an egregious mistake, whatever its precipitating cause, could result in paralysis.

Now the flip side of Biles’s leaving her teammates to compete without her comes into play. She ultimately determined that she couldn’t summon her best, and that her teammates had a better chance of scoring well without her. She opened for them a spot in the individual all-around that she would have taken — giving another gifted athlete a chance to go for medals, to chase the dreams they’ve worked so hard for.

The same decision that on Tuesday seemed to some of us unsportsmanlike now, on Wednesday, seems a historic sacrifice. Now, Biles’s contention that she believes she is helping the team by not competing becomes not only authentic, but also rational thinking.