Simone Biles withdraws from individual all-around competition at Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO — Simone Biles, widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time, has withdrawn from the individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Simone Biles drops from team competition Simone Biles, of the United States, enters the court for the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) (Gregory Bull/AP)

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According to The New York Times, USA Gymnastics released a statement Wednesday saying the 24-year-old, who pulled out of Tuesday’s team final, will not be competing in the all-around competition Thursday.

“After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health,” the statement read. “Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals.”

The statement continued: “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.”

Fellow American Jade Carey, who placed ninth in the qualifying round, will replace Biles in the all-around, according to the statement. Teammate Sunisa Lee, who secured a spot in the all-around final after posting the third-highest score in qualifying, also will compete.

>> RELATED STORY: Who is Jade Carey, gymnast replacing Simone Biles in Olympic all-around?

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Photos: Jade Carey to replace Simone Biles in Olympic gymnastics individual all-around Jade Carey of United States of America during women's qualification for the Artistic Gymnastics final at the Olympics at Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo, Japan on July 25, 2021. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Biles – who won four gold medals, including the all-around title, at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – pulled out of Tuesday’s competition shortly after the U.S. women completed their first rotation on vault. According to The Associated Press, the gymnast bailed on the vault she had planned to perform, an Amanar, and hopped on the landing.

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US women compete in gymnastics team final Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Biles was seen with her trainer before leaving the floor with the team’s doctor following the routine, according to the AP. She returned to the sidelines to cheer on teammates Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum, who went on to win the silver medal.

On Tuesday, USA Gymnastics said Biles withdrew from the team final “due to a medical issue” and will “be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.”

Biles later said she realized that she wasn’t “in the right headspace” to compete Tuesday, the AP reported.

“I didn’t want to go into any of the other events second-guessing myself,” Biles said. “So I thought it would be better if I took a step back and let these girls go out there and do their job.”

She also took to Instagram to praise her teammates.

“I’m SO proud of these girls right here,” she captioned a photo of the team posing with their silver medals. “You girls are incredibly brave & talented! I’ll forever be inspired by your determination to not give up and to fight through adversity! They stepped up when I couldn’t. thanks for being there for me and having my back! Forever love y’all.”

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– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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