Simone Biles withdraws from Gymnastics Final at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

American gymnast Simone Biles has withdrawn from the individual all-around final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist is the most successful US gymnast of all time, and reached all five individual finals in Tokyo.

But after pulling out of the women’s team final on Tuesday she says she needs to focus on her mental wellbeing. Biles’ decision to prioritise her mental health is praised by her fellow athletes and the head of the US Olympic team.

The 24-year-old was due to defend her all-around title on Thursday before going on to compete in further finals for the vault, uneven bars, floor and beam next week. She will now face daily evaluations to determine whether she can take part in the other upcoming individual event finals.

The US gymnastics team support Biles’ decision “wholeheartedly” and “applaud her bravery in prioritising her wellbeing”. They say, “her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many”.

During the women’s team final on Tuesday Biles scored her lowest Olympic vault score in the opening rotation, leading to her withdrawal. She returned to the arena to support her team mates, who clinched the silver after the Russians took gold. This is Biles’ sixth Olympic medal, and she now has 30 Olympic and World Championship medals in total.

Putting mental health first

Following her withdrawal from the event, Biles says she did not want to continue after the performance she gave. She says, “I have to focus on my mental health. I just think mental health is more prevalent in sports right now”. It is important to protect the mind and body, “and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do”. “I don’t trust myself as much anymore. Maybe it’s getting older”, she adds.

As athletes representing their country, there is a lot of pressure to do well, as Biles says sometimes “you feel the weight of the world”. But at the end of the day, they are still people, not just athletes, and “sometimes you just have to step back”.

Despite her withdrawal, the chief executive of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, still says Biles has “made us so proud”. She backs Biles’ decision to put mental wellness above everything else. Biles has the full support and resources of Team USA as she “navigate[s] the journey ahead”.

Fellow gymnast Danusia Francis of Jamaica also praised Biles for empowering people to put mental wellbeing first. “What a queen”, she adds.

A true champion

Commenting on Simone Biles and mental health in sport, 2016 hockey gold medal winner Sam Quek says watching the events unfold made her “frustrated”. She describes it as “absolute nonsense” for people to say Biles was weak and using excuses to pull out because of a poor performance.

Quek believes Biles “wasn’t in the right mental frame of mind to go and perform well enough and that she could have caused herself some damage”. If your mind isn’t fully focused on what you are doing, then you could cause yourself an injury.

Biles’ decision to pull out of the event showed great bravery and courage. She has “laid a foundation” for athletes and people around the world to say when all the pressure and attention is too much and something doesn’t feel right.

Anyone who accuses Biles of not being a team player for wanting to focus on herself could not be more wrong. She did not hide away after leaving the arena, she went back out there and cheered her team mates on. That is the sign of a true champion.

Fellow athletes and Olympic champions say they can fully relate to Biles’ feelings of having the weight of the world on your shoulders. They sympathise with the gymnast because right now she probably feels like she has failed. Becoming an Olympic champion and winning is a buzz, but when things go wrong it can be hard to process the emotions. No one really teaches you how to deal with these things.

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