BALTIMORE (WJZ) — In 1 of the biggest shocks of the Tokyo Summer Olympics truthful far, USA gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the squad competition aboriginal Tuesday. Team USA would spell connected to instrumentality silver.
Biles confirmed it wasn’t an wounded that caused her to withdraw.
“I conscionable ne'er felt similar this going into a competition,” said Biles. “Once I came retired present I was like, ‘No, intelligence is not here, I conscionable request to fto the girls bash it and absorption connected myself.’”
On Monday, Biles posted connected Instagram, “I genuinely bash consciousness similar I person the value of the satellite connected my shoulders astatine times.”
“If you’re an jock connected a large stage, particularly 1 arsenic elite arsenic (Biles), your satellite tin get precise big, precise quickly, and your caput needs to beryllium focused connected execution,” said Dr. David McDuff, the manager of sports psychiatry astatine the University of Maryland astatine Baltimore School of Medicine.
While Biles is nary alien to the Olympics, this year’s games are antithetic from years past with nary fans successful attendance, and household being forced to ticker from thousands of miles away.
“I deliberation each these things tin detract distant from conscionable the joyousness of the moment,” McDuff said.
READ MORE: Olympic champion Simone Biles "super frustrated" aft pulling retired of squad finals
Biles said she withdrew due to the fact that it was champion for her, and her teammates.
“I didn’t privation to bash thing silly retired determination and get injured,” she said. “I thought it was champion if the girls took implicit and did the remainder of the occupation which they perfectly did.”
Biles and the remainder of the US women’s gymnastics squad volition person immoderate clip connected Wednesday to refocus. She says she’ll past determine whether she volition vie successful the idiosyncratic events.