On Tuesday morning (July 27), Simone Biles shocked the world when she announced her withdrawal from the gymnastics team final at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Biles talked about the lead-up to her decision during a press conference after the event. As she was landing on vault, she took an unexpected stumble towards the end.
On what happened in that moment, she said, “I was trying a two and a half and I ended up doing a one and a half. I got a little bit lost in the air, which is really unfortunate — especially to have a score like that go up there for the team.”
Shortly after the performance, Biles made the difficult decision of forfeiting from the remainder of the final. The team assured her that she would be fine, but she knew that she could cost them a medal if she continued. She said, “I know I’m gonna be fine, but I can’t risk a medal for the team so I need to call it.”
The decorated Olympic gymnast opened up about how mental health concerns played a role in her decision. The games have been increasingly stressful for her this year, stating that it’s not always an enjoyable experience. She also clarified that she is not injured and took the break to prevent an injury from happening.
To other fellow athletes struggling with their mental health, Biles advised, “Put mental health first because if you don’t, then you’re not gonna enjoy your sport and you’re not gonna succeed as much as you want to. It’s okay sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are — rather than just battle through it.”
Her teammates, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, and Grace McCallum, ended up winning a silver medal for the U.S. while Russia took home the gold. Biles could be seen cheering them on from the sidelines the entire time. She commended her teammates on winning the medal without her, but Chiles interjected by mentioning that they owe the win to her.
Chiles said, “This medal is definitely for her because if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be here where we are right now. We wouldn’t be silver Olympic medalists because of who she is as a person — so kudos to you girlie. This is all for you.”
Following the events, Biles took to Instagram to share her pride for her teammates. She said, ” OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALISTS ♥ I’m SO proud of these girls right here. You girls are incredibly brave & talented! I’ll forever be inspired by your determination to not give up and to fight through adversity! They stepped up when I couldn’t. thanks for being there for me and having my back! forever love y’all.”
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Biles will have the opportunity to take a mental rest day on Wednesday (July 28). However, as of now, it is up in the air on whether she will return for the individual all-around final on Thursday (July 29). Celeb Secrets will share more information as it becomes available.
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