Four-time Rio Olympics gold medalist, and favorite for several gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles, has withdrawn from the all-around final a day after pulling out of the team competition after one event citing mental stress.
“After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health. Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”
Biles will be replaced in the all-around final by teammate, Jade Carey, who earned her qualification to the Tokyo Olympics through the apparatus world cup series. Carey competed in the qualifications as an individual and qualified to the vault and floor finals, where, as of 24 hours ago, Biles was the favorite for the gold.
Following the silver medal winning performance in the team competition by team USA, Biles explained some of her mental struggles. “It’s been really stressful this Olympic Games. Just as a whole. Not having an audience, there are a lot of different variables going into it. It’s been a long week, a long Olympic process, a long year. So just a lot of different variables. I think we are just a little bit stressed out. But we should be out here having fun and sometimes that’s not the case,” she said in her press conference. “I say put mental health first. If you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport. And you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to. So it’s OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself. It shows how strong of a competitor and person you really are. Rather than just battle through it.”
Tom Forster, U.S. national team coordinator, cited in a social media post that Biles has struggled on some of her twisting skills at times but that it had appeared to everyone that she had worked it out. Biles had planned to perform an Amanar in the team final on vault but rather than performing the 2 ½ twists she did only 1 ½, both in warm up and on her competition vault. After the balk, for safety reasons, she pulled out of the rest of the final. “Simone showed incredible bravery and wisdom to make the difficult decision to withdraw herself before potentially getting hurt,” Forster writes in his post.
Biles has qualified to all four individual event finals, which are not scheduled until August 1st.
The competitions in Tokyo continue today with the men’s all-around final. The women’s all-around final is tomorrow. For full schedule of the competitions click here.
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