USA gymnast Simone Biles has withdrawn from five of six finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and hit back at those simply saying she quit.
Most recently, the 24-year-old pulled out of the women’s floor exercise that is due to commence tomorrow.
The USA Gymnastics team confirmed the multi-time Olympic champ’s withdrawal and provided an update on if she will compete in the beam final towards the end of next week.
“Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor and will make a decision on beam later this week. Either way, we’re all behind you, Simone.”
Biles has also pulled out of the individual all-around, vault, bars due to a mental and to prioritise her mental health.
The gymnast is suffering from Twisties, a mental block that sees competitors lose their sense of spatial awareness. As a result, Biles is unable to perform at her best.
She took to Instagram on Friday and posted a video of herself on Instagram attempting two dismounts on the uneven bars into a foam pit.
On both occasions she lost track of herself in the air, which puts her at risk while performing.
Biles wrote: “For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit, my mind and body are simply not in sync as you can see here.
“I don’t think you realise how dangerous this is on a hard/competition surface.”
After making uncharacteristic errors during the all round team event at the 2020 Olympics, Biles decided to withdraw from competition and has been cheering on her teammates as they bid for Olympic glory.
Will we see the gymnastics legend compete again in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games? Only time will tell.
