Simone Biles shockingly withdrew from the women’s gymnastic team final at the Olympics on Monday, but she is not done competing in Tokyo.
There was some speculation that Biles may have suffered an injury, but one of her coaches told the NBC broadcast that Biles withdrew for mental health reasons. Biles later confirmed that she is not injured and said she is “dealing with some things internally.” She expects to return for individual finals on Thursday.
Simone Biles speaking after her dramatic health-related exit from the team #gymnastics: "I’m ok. Just dealing with some things internally which will get fixed out in the next couple of days."
Asked, see you back here on Thursday? “Yes,” she said.
— Mark Woods (@markbritball) July 27, 2021
Biles also said her team has been “a little too stressed out.”
Biles confirms she is not dealing with an injury. "It's been really stressful this Olympic games…it’s been a long week, a long Olympic process, a long year.
I think we’re a little too stressed out – we should be out here having fun and that’s just not the case."
— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) July 27, 2021
Biles struggled a bit during the preliminary rounds despite being a heavy favorite at the Olympics. She indicated in an Instagram post on Monday that she was having a tough time with the pressure in Tokyo.
“It wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it. I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times,” Biles wrote. “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! BUT I’m happy my family was able to be with me virtually they mean the world to me!”
Biles, 24, is the most decorated American gymnast by a wide margin. She has 30 total medals in competition, including her four gold medals and one bronze medal from the Rio Olympics in 2016. She’s such a well-known star that she even got her own emoji ahead of the Olympics.
