Simone Biles, a popular US gymnast, has withdrawn herself from the contest in vault and uneven bars as per USA Gymnastics.
Biles entered the Olympics as a strong favourite in the vault final.
According to USA Gymnastics, Simone Biles has chosen to withdraw from the vault and uneven bars event finals today, after further consultation with medical professionals. It said that she will be assessed everyday to decide if she will participate in the floor exercise and finals of balance beam. It was also stated that MyKayla Skinner, who ranked fourth in vault, will participate in the vault finals for the United States with Jade Carey, who finished second.
Simon Biles, who won the vault gold in Rio 2016, withdrew from Tuesday’s competition after claiming she became disoriented in the air after a vault during the first rotation. The organization subsequently announced that she will withdraw from competition to concentrate on her mental fitness.
On Friday night, USA Gymnastics reaffirmed its support for Simone Biles.
The organization said that they continue to be in awe of Simone, who has handled this situation with grace and dignity, as well as all of the contestants who have stepped up under these unforeseen circumstances.
On Thursday, the nineteen times world champion and 4 times Olympic gold winner withdrew from the contest.
No matter how they finish in the top eight, only two athletes from each country are allowed to compete in the individual apparatus final. Skinner was disqualified because of her fourth-best vault in qualification. However, as a consequence of Biles’ withdrawal, she will now be eligible to compete on vault for a medal.
The 24-year-old confessed on Thursday that she was suffering from “twisties,” a gymnastics term for losing one’s direction in midair. Biles completed just 1 1/2 twists in the air on her first vault in the team competition, when she wanted to do 2.
Biles has continued to train in the hopes of being ready for the event finals, but said she has encountered this issue before and that it often takes a few weeks for her to regain confidence in the air.
