She performed just one-and-a-half twists, landed in a deep squat and scored just 13.733. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many," the statement concluded.Įarlier in the day, USA Gymnastics confirmed that Biles had gone to practice.īiles scratched from Tuesday's women's team final after missing an attempt at a two-and-a-half twisting vault. "We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Jade Carey, who had the ninth highest score in qualifications, will participate in her place in the all-around."
"Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals. "After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health," read a statement from the governing body. Beyond the medals and golds, after all of her efforts to make it to Tokyo, it was crushing that she simply could not perform as she wished.USA Gymnastics confirmed to Tokyo 2020 that six-time Olympic medallist Simone Biles will not participate in Thursday's (29 July) women's all-around final. Speaking afterwards, she finished most comments by noting that despite her pride at bouncing back, it “sucked” she had to withdraw from so many events. That she was the last remaining survivor on the team only increased the pressure she felt to continue to compete and hold the governing body to account.Īs Biles collected her medal on 3 August and digested her thoughts, she was not yet prepared to fully embrace the narrative that she had ended her week triumphantly. She wrestled with the reality that she could only continue to chase her personal goals in her sport by representing USA Gymnastics, the organisation that had failed to protect her. Meanwhile, Biles continued to compete and cement her greatness while coming to terms with being a very public survivor of sexual abuse by the former US team doctor Larry Nassar, who also abused many of her former teammates. After nearing what finally seemed an appropriate finish line for her career, she was distraught when the pandemic pushed the Olympics back by a year. Even though she has avoided any lengthy injury layoffs, which are common in gymnastics, so many years of pounding her muscles and joints in training has left a painful mark on her body.
She has competed at the highest level since 2013, an eternity in women’s gymnastics. Over the past few years, so much has happened to Biles that led to the events in Tokyo. After days of hearing her mental strength questioned, Biles returned to competition and threw down an extremely clean routine to earn a bronze medal despite the diminished difficulty level.īiles bounces back with one of the most popular Olympic bronze medals of all time, on the beam. She located a private gym outside of the Olympic Village and each day she would safely attempt her skills into its foam pits.Īt no point in Tokyo did she regain her twisting ability, but Biles decided to remove all of the twists from her balance beam routine and attempt to compete on the very final day of competition. Behind the scenes, Biles was secretly doing everything in her power to return. Biles had completely lost her air-awareness during her twisting skills so continuing to compete meant there was an extremely high chance of her falling and injuring herself, possibly seriously.Įach day brought news of Biles withdrawing from another event, but she would still travel to the arena for each final and cheer louder than anyone else for her compatriots and rivals from other countries alike. She had developed the twisties, which occurs when a gymnast’s mind and body are out of sync, rendering them unable to complete certain skills safely. But Biles remained resolute and in the following days her issues became clearer.
As with Osaka, another prominent black woman, it immediately led to predictable backlash and scorn across social media. “There is more to life than just gymnastics.” Later that evening, during the official press conference, her teammates rallied around her and offered their unending support.īiles had followed in the footsteps of Naomi Osaka, whom she referenced, by placing discussions about mental health in the centre of sports.
Asked exactly why she decided not to compete, her response was clear: “To focus on my wellbeing,” she said. Instead, numerous reporters departed in awe of what they had heard after she openly explained her mental health struggles. After the competition, Biles could have avoided speaking in depth or even walked straight past the journalists in the mixed zone.
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