BREAKING NEWS: Defending champion Simone Biles withdraws from Olympics

Defending champion Simone Biles withdraws from Olympics

Defending champion Simone Biles has withdrawn from the Olympic all-around competition.

Simone Biles will NOT now defend her Olympic all-around gymnastics title on Thursday, July 29, and said she is pulling out of the competition to focus on her mental health.

Biles shocked the world on Tuesday night when she withdrew from the women’s team final after performing on just one piece of apparatus.

In a series of emotional interviews afterwards, the American spoke of having the “weight of the world” on her shoulders and admitted she “freaked out” in a “high-stress situation”.

“I feel like I’m also not having as much fun. This Olympic Games I wanted it to be for myself but I came in and I felt like I was still doing it for other people. It hurts my heart that doing what I love has been kind of taken away from me to please other people,” she said, breaking into tears.

“After a further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement.

The US federation said a decision on whether Biles would compete in individual event finals would be taken following daily evaluation.

Despite an uncharacteristically shaky performance in qualifications, Biles became the first woman since 1992 to advance to the final in all six possible Olympic events — the team final, individual all-around final and the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor event finals.

After the team final, Biles said she would take it “one day at a time” when it comes to her plans to compete in the remaining events.


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Ron Howells

Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!. Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.

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