Simone Biles' Teammates Support Her Decision To Pull Out Of Olympic Finals

Jul 29, 2021 by apost team

Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history. Over the years, people all over the globe have been able to witness her indisputable talents and highly impressive skills in the athletic world as she has been a shining star in national and global competition.
She has earned herself plenty of Olympic medals and World Championship medals and has easily become one of the most dominating athletes in the world. From jaw-dropping stunts and tricks to her determined personality, it's not hard to see why so many people have become a fan of the 24-year-old star. 

Now, the four-time Olympic gold medalist has let it be known that she will not compete in this Thursday's individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics. According to an emailed statement received by publications such as the New York Times, she is withdrawing from the team finals because of a mental health issue.

Her trainers have let it be known that she will be continually re-evaluated every day and that her participation in the event finals next week will depend on what those evaluations find. The US Olympics team has since continued competing without the renowned gymnast, scoring a silver medal in the last event even without their famous frontrunner.

Biles's sudden drop-out has shocked fans and sports enthusiasts all over the world. While some fans have criticized Biles for her decision, the Olympics gymnast team and former athletes have rallied behind the sports star and unanimously offered their support and understanding. Read on to see what the sports professionals have to say.

According to the New York Times, the e-mail statement from Biles's team and manager said: "We wholeheartedly support Simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, while she is a role model for so many."

While she had arrived at the Tokyo Olympics feeling positive and telling journalists she felt "pretty good" about the competition, publications such as the New York Times also reported that she was feeling the weight of expectations on her. As the biggest star of the US team at the Tokyo Games, it became tougher to keep her thoughts focused on the events, and during the hours before the team final, she stated she was shaking and couldn't nap.

Two of Biles's teammates, Jordan Chiles, 20, and Grace McCallum, 18, spoke out about the 24-year-old's unexpected withdrawal from the Olympic finals. On Wednesday, the young athlete pair gave an interview on the Today show - mere moments after it was publicly announced that Biles would not return to defend her all-around title during Thursday's final. 

Chiles, who also trains together with Biles at their home gym in Houston, Texas, expressly praised her teammate for her decision to put her health and safety first, also stating that she doesn't harbour any bad feelings towards Biles for dropping out of the finals.

Chiles told Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie on the Today show: "She's Simone for a reason. She's not a quitter. You will never see Simone go out there and not do what she knows she can do."

However, Chiles did also admit that the news of Biles' withdrawal from the final left her reeling. The news hit her especially hard as she was subsequently the one who had to compete in two additional events in order to fill the gap left by her teammate. 

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She told the show hosts: "I knew in my body that I could pull out everything I had. I did have to fill some humungous shoes but I did it for a reason, I did it for her. And she was there with us the whole time."

McCallum, who was the first US athlete competing on the uneven bars in the minutes just after Biles gave her teammates the news that she was pulling out of the final, confessed that she felt additional pressure and was left 'on the verge of tears by the news: 

"It was a lot of pressure, my heart was beating about a million miles an hour and I was on the verge of tears. I just knew I had to do my gymnastics, nothing more, nothing less."

However, despite this extra pressure, McCallum also voiced her support for Biles, understanding her decision to pull out of the competition. And her two teammates are not the only ones who are in Biles's corner.

Former Olympic gold medal winner and US gymnast Dominique Moceanu took to Twitter to voice her support for Biles and give insight into the stress and dangers gymnasts can face while performing on professional levels. Sharing a video of her ill-fated Olympics finals in 1996, Moceanu explained that she had been forced to compete with a tibial stress fracture - a broken leg. After hitting her head straight on the bar during her exercise, she was not given a medical exam and expected to compete again. She ended her Tweet with the words:

"@Simone_Biles decision demonstrates that we have a say in our own health—"a say" I NEVER felt I had as an Olympian."

What do you think about Biles's decision to pull out of the Olympics? Do you also support her decision, like her teammates? Tell us what you think and pass this article on.