Why did Simone Biles withdraw at Olympics? Here’s what we know about her status for Tokyo and beyond

Simone Biles withdraws from team and all-around finals, but is still greatest of all time

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TOKYO – The Olympic trajectory that had Simone Biles set for multiple gold medals has gone from all but certain to unclear, at best.

On Wednesday, Biles withdrew from the all-around competition. The defending Olympic gold medalist had qualified first for the final on Thursday, but she pulled out to focus on her mental health.

Biles had already withdrawn from the team final on Tuesday after the United States’ first event. Without her on the final three, the American women claimed a silver medal as Russia won gold.

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“It’s been really stressful this Olympic Games,” said Biles, who came to Tokyo as arguably the Games’ biggest star. “It’s been a long week. It’s been a long Olympic process. It’s been a long year. Just a lot of different variables and I think we’re just a little bit too stressed out, but we should be out here having fun and sometimes that’s not the case.”

© Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports Simone Biles received her silver medal after Tuesday’s team final. Russia took gold.

On Thursday in Tokyo, Biles tweeted a message of thanks to supporters. 

HER WORDS:  Everything Biles said after team competition

Biles, 24, returned for her second Games after claiming five medals in Rio in 2016. Continuing to train, especially as the pandemic pushed the finish line back a year, has been challenging as Biles said repeatedly she was eager to be done with these Olympics.

She was projected to get five more medals here, all of them possibly gold, but that won’t happen. In a statement, USA Gymnastics said Biles would continue to be evaluated to determine whether she will compete in event finals next week.

Whether she will is certain to become the biggest focus of the Games, so here is what we know about what’s next. 

What individual events is Biles qualified for? 

Biles qualified for all four event finals, the first woman to do so at an Olympics since 1992. She now has four days before she could compete again. After the all-around on Thursday, the competition takes a two-day break before event finals for vault and uneven bars on Sunday, floor exercise on Monday and balance beam on Tuesday.

What about the “fifth” Biles move

Coming into the competition, Biles seemed ready to try her Yurchenko double pike on vault. Biles first landed the vault – which requires a roundoff onto the takeoff board, a back handspring onto the table and a double somersault with her body in a piked position – at U.S. Classic in May and did two in podium training here.

The vault is so difficult that most men don’t do it, and no woman ever has. If she landed it in international competition, it would be the fifth skill in the Code of Points to bear her name.

But it’s frighteningly dangerous. If a gymnast is off in the air, she’s likely to land on her neck or head.

In the team final, Biles balked at an Amanar – one of the harder vaults that the women do but one Biles could practically do in her sleep. Rather than follow through the 2½ rotations it requires, Biles did 1½ and barely landed it.

Even if she competes in the vault final, the Yurchenko double pike seems less likely.

What comes after Tokyo Olympics for Biles?

Well, first, the plan was the tour. Biles launched her own tour – Gold Over America Tour (GOAT, get it?) – to run across the country with other female gymnasts after the Games.

“She’s going to be busy with the tour, I think she needs to take some time and try to figure out what she wants to do,” said Cecile Landi, one of Biles’ coaches, in April. “If she wants to come do a couple events, she knows she can still be the best on for sure in two events, maybe three. Depends on where she’s at.”

Coming into these Games, Biles had waffled between being eager for them to be done and to have a break from pandemic-extended training. At 24, she could call it an Olympic career.

But she has also suggested that the 2024 Games, now just three years away, might be appealing as an event specialist. The Landis – Laurent, Cecile’s husband, is also one of her coaches – competed on the French national team, and Cecile Landi represented France at the 1996 Olympics.

“She’ll enjoy life. And then we’ll see,” Cecile Landi said. “She might be bored. She might be like, let me break another record and then go out.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did Simone Biles withdraw at Olympics? Here’s what we know about her status for Tokyo and beyond