Twitter Shows Simone Biles Grace As She Drops Out Of 2 More Olympic Events
Twitter Shows Simone Biles Nothing But Grace As She Drops Out Of Two More Olympic Events
Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty
The best gymnast to ever grace the mat has chosen her mental health once again.
Last week it was reported that Simone Biles would back out of Tuesday’s Olympic team final after her first vault, and she later then opted out of Thursday’s all-around final to get her mind right. Now, she’s dropped out of another– Sunday’s individual finals in the vault and uneven bars.
“Today, after further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars,” USAG said in a statement. “She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam.”
American teammate MyKayla Skinner will replace Biles, but the USA will still have the ability to stand atop the podium since she had the fourth-highest score in vault during qualifications. The only reason she wasn’t listed to compete prior to Biles dropping out is because she was a victim of the International Gymnastics Federation’s two-per-country rule.
Biles revealed that she was still struggling on Friday when she posted (then deleted) Instagram stories of her spinning on the bars but unable to keep her balance and landing awkwardly on the mat. Gymnasts often refer to the issue as “twisties,” simply meaning they get lost in the air, which makes sticking a move much harder and very dangerous.
“I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competitive surface,” she wrote in a caption.
While fans wish they could see Biles make history, Twitter is still supporting her mental health journey before she rejoins the competition.
