STUTTGART, Germany — Simone Biles often says she’s not motivated by medals.

Except for one.

Biles won the bronze medal on balance beam at the Rio Olympics and, three years later, it has stayed with her. Only this year does she feel she has regained her confidence on the event.

“It took a while,” she said Friday during an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports. “I have this love-hate relationship with the beam. I’ve always told myself, 'If you hate beam, the beam will hate you.’ ”

Biles was the world champion on balance beam in 2014 and 2015, and she was expected to win gold on it in Rio after finishing first in qualifying. But her foot slipped on the landing of a front tucked somersault during the event final, and she wobbled and had to grab onto the beam to keep from falling.

So certain was she that she would finish off the podium that Biles put her regular Team USA warmup on, rather than the special gear U.S. athletes were given to wear on the medals stand. When the competition finished, however, Biles was still in third, slightly ahead of France’s Marine Boyer and Brazil's Flavia Saraiva.

Disappointed as she was at the mistake, some of the reactions she got were even more crushing, with some telling her she didn’t deserve her bronze medal.

“2016 kind of shut me down,” Biles said.

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Even the year she took off after Rio couldn’t erase the negative memories.

“I just didn’t want to do a performance like that. I had fallen on beam (again), so that also shot my confidence down,” said Biles, who won a bronze medal on beam at last year’s worlds after a wobbly performance.

“I was like, 'I guess I’m just never going to do well on beam again.' "

It is Cecile Landi, who coaches Biles with her husband Laurent, who helped her find her confidence again. They took out the front tuck, and reworked the routine. Biles also perfected a double-twisting, double somersault dismount – though she only does it sparingly because the International Gymnastics Federation watered down its value to discourage other, less-capable gymnasts from trying it.

The change is noticeable. Biles posted the highest score on balance beam in qualifying, team final and the all-around, and she now does her tricks with such assuredness the beam might as well be 4-feet wide instead of 4-inches.

“My main goal is to go out there and compete beam with confidence, and hopefully do well in that event because I know how strong I am,” Biles said. “Even though I got a bronze, I’m hoping for a little bit better because I know I’m capable of it.”