Simone Biles, a 4-time gold medal gymnast at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is making a comeback for the remaining individual final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow – Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!” USA Gymnastics tweeted early August 2. “Can’t wait to watch you both!”
We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow – Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 2, 2021
The balance beam final will take place on August 3.
The 24-year-old athlete pulled herself from the previous team and individual competitions earlier in the games. Originally cited as a “medical issue,” it has recently come to light that Biles withdrew due to a case of the “twisties” and her mental health.
Biles entered the games hopeful to win six gold medals. Already considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, she would have become the most successful female olympian of all time across every sport.
While Biles has been met with an outpouring of support from her team and others, there have also been critics saying she quit when it became too hard.
“I didn’t have a bad performance & quit,” Biles responded on her Instagram story. “I’ve had plenty of bad performances throughout my career and finished the competition. I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal.”
Simone Biles addresses critics & explains why she decided to withdraw from the Olympic gymnastics team final in new IG stories:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 30, 2021
“I didn’t have a bad performance & quit… I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal… my mind & body are simply not in sync…” pic.twitter.com/juqI7V5mYs
The gymnast finished by praising the performance of the rest of the USA team and reminding the critics that her safety is important.
“The girls stepped up and killed the rest of the competition & won silver…QUEENS!!! Hence why we have 4 team members bc ALLLLL of us can compete in team meet. Not just me.”
“For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit. My mind & body are simply not in sync.”
The Olympics will end following the closing ceremony on August 8.
Photo via zhukovsky/Deposit Photos
