After withdrawing from the women’s artistic gymnastics Olympic team final and the all-around final earlier in the Tokyo Games, Simone Biles announced that she will also be withdrawing from the bars and vault finals slated for Sunday, Aug 1. Biles withdrew from the final events earlier this week citing her mental health, and she later went on to explain on her Instagram Stories that she is experiencing the “twisties,” where gymnasts lose a mind-body connection and physically can’t identify where they are in the air during their flips. It is not only scary, but also dangerous if a gymnast suddenly doesn’t know how to land their skills, and can lead to incredibly serious injury.
“After further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam.”
Instead, MyKayla Skinner, who had the fourth highest score in vault during the qualifying round, will compete in vault finals for Team USA. Jade Carey, who finished with the second highest score, will also compete in vault. Sunisa Lee, who won gold in the all-around, will compete in the uneven bars after finishing second during the preliminary round.
“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,” USA Gymnastics continued. Her teammates and other athletes and celebs have come out in support of Biles, and we are 100 percent behind her decision.
