On Tuesday, 24-year-old Olympic gymnast Simone Biles walked off the mat after an uncharacteristically faulty vault. In a statement to the media, USA Gymnastics said that Biles withdrew from the team final competition “due to a medical issue” and would be “assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.”
In an interview with the BBC after the final, Biles said she was “okay” but “dealing with things internally which will get fixed out in the next couple of days.” Biles’ coach echoed Biles’ remarks, telling NBC: “Physically she is fine. But she is done for the night.”
At a press conference later in the day, Biles told journalists that she is taking some time to focus on her “well being.”
“There is more to life than just gymnastics and it is very unfortunate that it has to happen at this stage, because I definitely wanted this Olympics to go a little better, but again take it one day at a time,” she said. “We’re going to see how the rest goes.”
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“I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a backseat. Work on my mindfulness. I knew the girls would do a great job, and I didn’t want to risk a team medal for my screw-ups,” she said, according to Olympics reporter Callie Caplan. “I took a step back, because I didn’t want to do something silly out there…It’s been really stressful this Olympic Games.”
Biles reportedly added: “I was just shaking, could barely nap. I just never get like this going into a competition before. I tried to go out here and have fun and warm-ups in the back went a little better. But once I came out here, I was like ‘No, mental’s not there’ so I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself.”
At the press conference, Biles also said she plans to take a half-day break tomorrow and then decide whether to compete. That means she could be planning to return for Thursday’s all-around final. She has qualified for all the events; the individual all-around, beam, vault, floor, and uneven bars.
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Following the Olympic gymnastics qualifications on Monday, Biles posted an Instagram about the immense pressure that comes with being an Olympic athlete, writing: “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The olympics is no joke!”
Before the games started, she told The New York Times that she was already looking forward to the Olympics being done.
After Biles left the competition on Tuesday, her teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Grace McCallum finished the team event finals. Team USA went on to win silver in the event, while Russia’s team took the gold. Biles, the picture of a good sportswoman—and supportive friend—stayed to cheer on her teammates sporting her white Team USA warm-up gear as they finished their performances.
Rose Minutaglio
Staff Writer
Rose is a Staff Writer at ELLE covering culture, news, and women’s issues.
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