MEET TEAM USA GYMNASTICS' SECRET WEAPON! 'GOODEST BOY' BEACON COULD BE THE KEY TO SIMONE BILES AND SUNI LEE'S OLYMPIC SUCCESS IN PARIS AFTER TOKYO TWISTIES
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With the US Olympic trials in the books, Team USA's gymnastics roster for the upcoming Paris Games has been finalized with one notable exception: A golden retriever named Beacon.
The support dog known as Beacon was a breakout star during last week's trials in Minneapolis, where Suni Lee took to Instagram to credit the four-year-old canine for helping her through the stressful competition: 'Thank god for Beacon.'
Beacon's presence seems all the more significant after Simone Biles battled the 'twisties' during the Tokyo Games in 2021 before ultimately dropping out of the competition. The syndrome impacts gymnasts' mid-flight awareness, turning every landing into a potentially dangerous situation.
Of course, it's hard to say if Beacon's presence would have helped the four-time Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, or, for that matter, the upcoming Paris Games later this month.
'We are looking into if he can go to Paris,' a US Gymnastics spokesperson told People. 'As you can imagine, it's a bit complicated.'
A USAG spokeswoman did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for an update on Friday.
If the French government does permit Beacon's entry into Paris, the Olympics will be adding an absolute superstar.
'Everyone wants to say hi, and he wants to say hi to them,' handler Tracey Callahan Molnar told ESPN. 'It takes 20 minutes to get... not very far.'
Officially USAG's 'first official therapy dog,' Beacon is a 'sort of emotional sponge' for athletes, according to Callahan Molnar.
'[Therapy dogs] absorb the stress of the people they're relieving the stress off of,' she told ESPN. 'So even though he might be lying still for two hours, he's wiped out afterwards.'
Beacon was in action throughout the US Olympic trials, where he was seen canoodling with current and former athletes, including Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez.
Pictures from the event showed Beacon in a white scarf with a proper photo credential around his mane. The badge identifies him as the 'Goodest Boy.'
'I'm so obsessed with Beacon's name tag,' one new fan wrote on X.
The process of comforting elite athletes is very intuitive, as Callahan Molnar explained.
'I watch the women and if they're animated when they see him, I'll walk toward them,' she told ESPN at the trials. 'Tonight, some called him over or came to him on their own.'
But not everyone is a 'dog person,' so Callahan Molnar and Beacon are mindful to give some athletes their space.
As Callahan Molnar explained, Beacon will only offer his help if he hears his name or senses he's needed.
'He will turn on a dime without seeing who it is,' Callahan Molnar said. 'He picks up on the stress and will pull to that person immediately.'
Read more 2024-07-05T19:03:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd