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Simone Biles has withdrawn from the individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
After dropping out of the team competition following one vault due to a “mental health issue,” Biles has now decided that she will not move forward in the all-around competition after she qualified in first place.
“After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health. Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”
The four-time Olympic gold medalist was the defending all-around champion.
“This Olympic Games, I wanted it to be for myself. But I was still doing it for other people,” the 25-year-old Biles told reporters after withdrawing from the team competition. “It hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people.”
In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won gold in the team final, individual all-around, vault and floor finals, and bronze on beam.
There is no word on whether she will return for the individual events. Biles said she will be taking things “one day at a time” while individual events begin this weekend.
