Simone Biles withdraws from Olympic final for mental health reasons

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles pulled out of the women's team final on Tuesday after receiving her lowest ever score on the vault. The gymnast said she was experiencing extreme stress and was concerned about compromising her team's chances of winning a medal and of injuring herself.

Biles, who is the most successful US gymnast of all time, has reached all five individual finals in Tokyo. She was due to defend her all-around title on Thursday before competing in the finals of the vault and uneven bars on Sunday, 1 August, floor on Monday, 2 August, and beam on Tuesday, 3 August.

USA Gymnastics praised Bile for making a healthy decision, noting: "Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week's individual event finals.

"We wholeheartedly support Simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritising her wellbeing. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many."

After withdrawing on Tuesday evening, Biles subsequently left the arena but returned to support her teammates who went on to claim a silver medal behind the Russian Olympic Committee.

Biles' decision to step down has sparked online discussions around mental health in sport. Many Olympic athletes and the official Olympic body have come forward to voiced their support.

Jamaican gymnast Danusia Francis tweeted, "Don't know about you but I think Simone Biles just empowered everyone to put their mental wellbeing above everything else. What a queen. GOAT in more ways than one."

2016 hockey gold medallist Sam Quek spoke about the situation on BBC Olympic Breakfast saying, "watching it unfold yesterday I was getting more and more frustrated. I'd see headlines popping up saying she was weak, she wasn't mentally strong enough to deal with the pressure. On social media, people accused her of using it as an excuse to pull out because she wasn't performing as well. It's absolute nonsense.

"She said she wasn't in the right mental frame of mind to go and perform well enough and that she could have caused herself some damage. Every sportsperson knows that if you go in half-cocked, you're going to cause yourself an injury, none more so than in gymnastics.

"Even more importantly, she's laid a foundation for so many athletes and so many people around the world to say 'do you know what, the amount of pressure, the amount of eyes on me in this moment in time, something doesn't feel right'. That she had the bravery and the courage to pull out of the event is just huge."

In a press conference, Biles opened up about the reasons behind her decision. "After the performance I did, I just didn't want to go on. I have to focus on my mental health. I just think mental health is more prevalent in sports right now. We have to protect our minds and our bodies and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do," she said.

"I don't trust myself as much anymore. Maybe it's getting older. There were a couple of days when everybody tweets you and you feel the weight of the world.

"We're not just athletes. We're people at the end of the day and sometimes you just have to step back."

We are with you, Simone.🤍

— Olympics (@Olympics) July 28, 2021

Don’t know about you but I think @Simone_Biles just empowered everyone to put their mental well-being above everything else. WHAT A QUEEN. GOAT in more ways than one. ♥️

— Danusia Francis (@danusiafrancis) July 27, 2021

. @Simone_Biles you’ve pushed boundaries time and time again. Rest up & take time pic.twitter.com/ktAmF0UmAc

— Max Whitlock MBE (@maxwhitlock1) July 28, 2021