Simone Biles' future at the Tokyo Olympics remains uncertain. She withdrew from the team competition on July 27 and from the all-around competition July 28, reported the Deseret News.
- After Biles withdrew from the team competition, Grace McCallum, Jordan Chiles and Suni Lee led Team USA to win silver, per the Deseret News.
- Jade Carey replaced Biles in the all-around competition as the second Team USA gymnast, reported ABC News.
- Lee — who had already qualified for the all-around — won gold in the event, reported the Deseret News. Biles was the defending gold medalist in the all-around event.
- MyKayla Skinner will replace Biles in the vault final Sunday, reported the Deseret News. No other Team USA gymnast will replace Biles in bars.
On Friday, Biles withdrew from the individual vault and bars finals, reported ESPN. On Saturday, she withdrew from the floor final, reported ABC News.
The gymnastics legend has one more opportunity to compete next week in the event finals for beam, reported ABC News. Biles has not publicly commented on the remaining final but will be evaluated daily to assess her participation. If Biles withdraws from the beam finals, no Team USA gymnast will replace her, reported Time.
Will Simone Biles compete in Tokyo?
Biles qualified for all four events of the event finals. She is the first woman to do so since the 1992 Olympics, per USA Today. Biles was favored to win gold at all four events.
- The vault finals and uneven bar finals will take place Sunday, Aug. 1.
- The floor finals will take place Monday, Aug. 2.
- The balance beam finals will take place Tuesday, Aug. 3, per USA Today.
This gives Biles only a few days until she could compete again. The gymnast could still choose to participate in the beam finals, reported The New York Times.
Why did Simone Biles withdraw?
Biles chose to withdraw from the team and all-around competitions because she did not consider herself in the right place mentally to continue competing without risk of serious injury, reported The New York Times.
“I want to walk out of here, not be dragged out by a stretcher or something,” Biles said after the final Tuesday, per The New York Times.
- Her decision has sparked a discussion about the role of mental health in athletic competitions and the culture of gymnastics, reported the Deseret News.
- All gymnasts face the challenge of simultaneously maintaining peak mental and physical health, reported The New York Times.
“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 Wednesday, per ABC News.
- “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being,” the organization said per The New York Times. “Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”
What will Biles do after the Olympics?
Biles already has plans for after the Tokyo Games. She had previously planned to travel across the country with other female gymnasts in the Gold Over America Tour, reported USA Today.
“She’s going to be busy with the tour,” said Cecile Landi, one of Biles’ coaches, back in April. “I think she needs to take some time and try to figure out what she wants to do.”
- “If she wants to come do a couple events, she knows she can still be the best on for sure in two events, maybe three. Depends on where she’s at,” Landi said, per USA Today.
- “She’ll enjoy life. And then we’ll see,” Landi said. “She might be bored. She might be like, let me break another record and then go out.”