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TOKYO – Simone Biles retired from Sunday’s individual finals in vault and uneven bars at the Summer Olympics.
“Today, after further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and uneven bars,” USAG said in a statement. “She will continue to be assessed daily to determine if she will compete in the finals for the floor exercises and the balance beam.”
Biles, 24, withdrew from Tuesday’s team final after her first jump, and then told media she no longer trusted herself. She then opted out of Thursday’s all-around final to focus on her sanity.
In a series of posts and videos on her Instagram story on Friday, Biles explained that she is still struggling with “twisties” and said her “mind and body just aren’t in sync.” Twisties is a term used by gymnasts when they feel like they are lost in the air, which can cause serious injury during aerial routines.
In one video, Biles is seen attempting a 1½ turn and landing on his back.
“I don’t think you realize how dangerous it is on a hard / competitive court,” she wrote in a caption.
Biles will be replaced on vault by MyKayla Skinner, who had the fourth highest vault score in qualifying but was not eligible for the event due to the two per country rule. Skinner joins Jade Carey as the Americans in this final.
Sunisa Lee, who won all-around gold on Thursday, will be the only compatriot in the bars final as no other American has achieved a good enough qualifying score. France’s Melanie de Jesus dos Santos will replace Biles at the bars.
Biles had been considered one of the faces of the Tokyo Olympics and the favorite to win the all-around title, as well as the favorite on vault, floor and beam. She won five medals at the 2016 Games, including four gold. She had qualified for the four finals per event and had the best score in the all-around in Sunday’s qualifying.
Biles was seen cheering on Lee and Carey from the stands during the all-around final.
“We remain impressed with Simone, who continues to handle this situation with courage and grace, and all of the athletes who have stepped up under these unexpected circumstances,” USAG said in the statement.
The floor final is scheduled for Monday and the beam final on Tuesday.
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