The American athlete, archi favorite in gymnastics, threw in the towel during the all-around team competition, for still unknown medical reasons. His participation in the individual event is compromised.
It was written that the most successful gymnast of all time was yet to become a little more legendary in Tokyo. And yet, Simone Biles risks adding no victory to her list of giantess (25 world championship medals and four Olympic titles in Rio).
The 24-year-old young woman was indeed replaced this Tuesday during the all-around team competition, after a passage in vault below her usual standards (noted 13.766). The star left the room briefly then returned with her team, dressed in her white tracksuit bearing the USA logo, with the status of substitute on the uneven bars and the two other apparatus on the program (floor, beam).
At the end of the competition won by Russia in front of the United States, Simone Biles got back into her clothes and spoke briefly with IOC President Thomas Bach before the official ceremony.
“Widely bandaged foot”
«Simone [Biles] withdrew from the team competition for medical reasons. Examinations will be carried out daily to determine if it can receive the medical green light for the competitions to come ”, indicated the American federation of gym, without giving more details on the state of health of the superstar.
According to the official Tokyo Olympics account on Twitter, the athlete returned to the mat “With his foot widely bandaged”. She is supposed to participate in the all-around competition this Thursday.
On Monday during qualifying for the all-around, Biles appeared unusually feverish and made several faults. She still managed to qualify for the six program finals in Tokyo, the individual all-around and the team all-around, as well as the four apparatus finals.
A few hours after these qualifications, she posted a disturbing message on Instagram for her supporters: “I sometimes have the impression of carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders”, she had written.
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