Olympic champion Biles absent from team final



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TOKYO (AP) – Reigning Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles is missing from the team final after apparently injuring herself on the vault.

The 24-year-old American star, considered the greatest gymnast of all time, snuggled up with a trainer after landing her jump. She then left the competition field with the team doctor.

Biles returned a few minutes later. She took off her bar grips, hugged teammates Grace McCallum, Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles before putting on a jacket and sweatpants.

The Americans will be forced to finish the rest of the competition without her, seriously hampering their attempt to win a third consecutive Olympic title.

The United States started the finals on vault, with Biles last. She was supposed to do an “Amanar”, a jump that begins with a rounded backhand jump on the table followed by 2 1/2 twists. She seemed to change her mind in the air, doing only 1 1/2 turns instead.

She left the podium and was treated by team doctor Marcia Faustin before exiting the arena.

Biles arrived in Tokyo as the undisputed star of the Games, but struggled, at least by his high standards, in qualifying. In a social media post on Monday, she admitted that she felt the weight of the world was on her shoulders and that the Olympics “weren’t a joke”.

Biles won five medals in Rio de Janeiro five years ago and was fortunate enough to pass him after advancing to all five finals. It remains to be seen whether she will be available for the all-around final on Thursday night and the event finals later in the Games.

After two rotations, the United States is lagging ROC at 2.5 points.

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More AP: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports



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