Simone Biles Will Not Defend Her All-Around Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics

Champion gymnast Simone Biles will not defend her all-around gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, USA Gymnastics has confirmed.

“Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement.

“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,” the statement added.

Biles had won individual gold medals for all-round, vault and floor at the 2016 Rio Olympics, in addition to bronze in balance beam and the team gold.

On Tuesday, Biles withdrew from the team after not performing to her satisfaction on the vault. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being,” Biles had said at the time. Her teammates Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Grace McCallum banded together to secure the silver medal in the team finals for the U.S.

“We could not be prouder of how this team handled things tonight,” said USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung about the silver medal placing. “From Simone’s bravery and selflessness to the team’s ability to adapt quickly and perform so well, these young women inspired us all.”

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Last week, Biles and Lee had qualified to represent the U.S. in Thursday’s women’s all-around competition, and Biles also advanced to all four event finals. Lee qualified to the uneven bars and balance beam finals, and Jade Carey is set to compete in the vault and floor exercise finals.

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