Team USA gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is out of Tuesday's team finals at the Tokyo Olympics after stumbling on vault, the International Gymnastics Federation wrote on Twitter.
Confirmed: After one routine, Simone Biles will sit out the rest of the Women's Team final in #ArtisticGymnastics at #Tokyo2020. #Olympics
— FIG (@gymnastics) July 27, 2021
According to NBC commentators, the women's coach said Biles withdrew due to a mental issue.
Simone Biles back in warmup gear, cheering on her teammates after she told them she pulled out of the team competition final.
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) July 27, 2021
“It is not injury related” and apparently her coach said “it’s a mental issue that Simone is having,” per NBC commentators just now. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/WdBgVBnF5m
The 24-year-old bailed in the middle of her Amanar attempt on vault, bringing down the difficulty level. Rather than 2.5 twists, she did just 1.5, resulting in a score of 13.766, which is low for Biles' standard.
After placing second in the qualifying round at the Tokyo Olympics for the floor routine, Biles posted an emotional photo to Instagram, saying, "I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn't affect me but damn sometimes it's hard hahaha! The olympics is no joke!"
Based on her Instagram post, it appears that she may be feeling more pressure than usual. With no family and friends allowed to attend this year's Games due to COVID-19, it's certainly been a battle for not only Biles, but all athletes involved.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team is looking to bring home the gold for the third consecutive time.
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