Yahoo Finance Simone Biles withdraws from vault and uneven bars finals at Tokyo Olympics
Simone Biles has withdrawn from Sunday’s vault and uneven bars finals at the Tokyo Olympics as she continues to focus on her mental health.
Biles pulled out of the women’s team final midway through the competition earlier this week after botching her only routine, on vault.
The USA gymnastics legend subsequently spoke of her struggles, revealing she felt the “weight of the world” on her shoulders and was suffering from the “twisties”, a phenomenon were gymnasts can’t tell where they are in the air and therefore find it difficult to land safely.
The 24-year-old then dropped out of Thursday’s individual all-around final, which was won by teammate Sunisa Lee, but said she would consider her participation in the four individual disciplines on a day-by-day basis.
On Friday, however, she said on Instagram that she was still plagued by the twisties in practice and has now pulled out of the first two, with no guarantees she will return for the floor and balance beam next week.
A statement from USA Gymnastics read: "Today, after further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars.
"She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam.
"MyKayla Skinner, who had the fourth highest score in vault during qualifications, will compete in vault finals for the US alongside Jade Carey, who finished with the second highest score.
"We remain in awe of Simone, who continues to handle this situation with courage and grace, and all of the athletes who have stepped up during these unexpected circumstances."
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