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US Gymnast Simone Biles withdraws from individual all-around Olympic competition

Biles' decision comes thee day after she withdrew halfway through team USA's event final

Published: July 28, 2021 7:20am

Updated: July 28, 2021 7:36am

Simon Biles will not compete to defend her Olympic title at the individual all-around competition. 

Following a consultation with Team USA officials, Biles has opted not to compete in Thursday's final, after withdrawing midway through the team competition on Tuesday.

"After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health," reads a statement from USA Gymnastics.

"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 prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many," continued the statement. 

Biles said yesterday after withdrawing that she is using this time to concentrate on "what's right for me," and to "focus on my mental health."

She added: "I just don't trust myself as much as I used to. I don't know if it's age, but I'm a little bit more nervous when I do gymnastics. I feel like I'm also not having as much fun, and I know that this Olympic Games I wanted to do it for myself."

It is not yet clear whether Biles will compete in the individual event finals next week.

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