Simone Biles pulled out of the women's gymnastics team all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics.
The NBC broadcast of the event announced that the most accomplished gymnast in the history of her sport would not continue in Team USA's bid to earn a third straight gold medal in the group competition.
Biles looked off during her opening event at Tuesday's team final. She bailed on her vault routine and nearly wound up falling to her knees on the landing, earning one of her worst scores to date in what is arguably her strongest apparatus.
—#TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2021
After the lackluster vault, the 24-year-old chatted with her coach and left the gym alongside a US trainer.
She came back into the arena moments later, and while it originally appeared as if she might miss only the uneven-bars event, the broadcasters revealed soon after that Biles had pulled out of the team competition.
Biles entered the games with a lingering injury. It's possible that she aggravated her ankle issue in the lead-up to the vault.
But according to broadcasters covering the event, Biles' coach suggested that her shocking exit was due to mental-health concerns. Perhaps the star — who has qualified for every medal event in the Tokyo Olympics' women's gymnastics competition — is taking time to mentally prepare for her coming individual events.
