Simone Biles Withdraws from Gold Medal Event for Mental Health Reasons

On Tuesday, Simone Biles withdrew from the gymnastics final after a low-scoring attempt on the vault.

After the event, Biles left the arena floor with a trainer, and when it was time for the US team’s second rotation she put her warm-ups on and was replaced by Jordan Chiles for the uneven bars.

After her withdrawal, USA Gymnastics released a statement that said: “Simone Biles has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue. She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions. Thinking of you, Simone!”

“I’m not in the right headspace. I’m not going to lose a medal for this country and for these girls. They worked too hard … it’s not worth it, especially when you have three amazing athletes who can step up,” said Biles.

“It’s been a long Olympic journey, it’s been a long year … after the performance that I did, I didn’t want to go into the other events, so I thought I would step back,” Biles told reporters.

The gymnast said that the pressure to achieve perfection was weighing down on her mental health.

“I’d just never felt like this going into a competition before and I tried to go out there and have fun … but once I came out here, I was like: no, the mental’s not there, so I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself,” she said.

After her exit from the event, Biles continued to cheer on her teammates from the sidelines.

The team struggled without her and ultimately received a silver medal, with Russia taking the gold.

As far as whether Biles will compete in the women’s all-around final on Thursday, she said she would, “take it a day at a time.”

The athlete will be receiving professional care first thing on Wednesday morning.

Photo Credit: Natacha Pisarenko/AP