Simone Biles withdraws from vault and uneven bars finals
Simone Biles has withdrawn from two more Olympic events — vault and uneven bars — USA Gymnastics said Friday night. The organization said Biles' decision was made after consultation with medical staff.
"She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam," USA Gymnastics said, adding, "...We remain in awe of Simone, who continues to handle the situation with courage and grace, and all of the athletes who have stepped up during these unexpected circumstances."
After further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars. She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam. pic.twitter.com/kWqgZJK4LJ
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 31, 2021
MyKayla Skinner, who USA Gymnastics says had the fourth highest score in vault during qualifications, will take Biles' place in the vault finals on Sunday, alongside Jade Carey. Skinner posted about the news on Instagram shortly after the announcement, saying "Looks like I get to put a competition leo on just one more time...Doing this for us Simone Biles!"
On Tuesday, Biles withdrew from the team finals, in which gymnasts from every team compete together in four events: vault, balance beam, uneven bars and the floor exercise. A day later, she withdrew from the individual all-around competition. The beam final and floor final, which Biles is still set to compete in, both take place on Tuesday.
After she withdrew from the team and individual all-arounds, the 24-year-old said that she had become disoriented while competing on vault, a state that gymnasts refer to as "the twisties."
Biles explained what happened on her Instagram story on Thursday, saying that she started to have the problem after her qualifying round at the Olympics.
"Sometimes I can't even fathom twisting. I seriously cannot comprehend how to twist. Strangest and weirdest thing as well," she explained, saying that she usually only feels that way on floor and vault, but that this week, she was getting the sensation during every event.
"It's honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind and body in sync," she continued. "Literally cannot tell up from down. It's the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body. What's even scarier is since I have no idea where I am in the air, I also have NO idea how I'm going to land. Or what I'm going to land on."
Biles is the most decorated American gymnast of all time, a victory she earned in 2019 at the World Championships. She has won 25 medals at world championships and six more at the Olympics, according to her Olympic page.
Biles earned several of her previous awards despite dangerous injuries and medical issues. In October 2018, she competed with a broken toe; a month later, she went on to win six medals at the 2018 World Championships with a kidney stone.