TOKYO — U.S. gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final floor event, USA Gymnastics said Sunday.
“Simone has withdrawn from the event final for floor and will make a decision on beam later this week,” the organization said in a tweet. “Either way, we’re all behind you, Simone.”
It is the latest unexpected turn in an Olympic Games that was supposed to be a showcase for Biles and which has thrust the four-time gold medalist headlong into the conversation about mental health and athletics.
Biles, who came into the Games as the heavy favorite, has cited her mental health as the reason for withdrawing from the competitions.
“For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit, my mind and body are simply not in sync as you can see here,” Biles wrote Friday in an Instagram post. “I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health.”
Biles added that she was still suffering with “the twisties” and “literally can not tell up from down.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
