Simone Biles will compete in Tuesday’s balance bar final, her first final since pull of multiple competitions for mental health reasons, USA Gymnastics announced Monday morning.
Last Tuesday, the superstar gymnast withdraw in the middle of the team finals after she tripped while landing in the bunker. In a later press conference, Biles said she felt mentally unwell as she prepared for the event.
“I was just, like, shaking, could barely sleep,” said Biles. “I’ve never felt like this when I’m in a competition, and I’ve been trying to come out here and have fun.”
On Wednesday, USA Gymnastics announced that Biles also withdrew from the individual competition “to focus on her mental health.”
“We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her courage in prioritizing her health,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement at the time. “Her courage, once again, shows why she is a role model to so many.”
On Friday, Biles did a Q&A on Instagram and posted a hands-on video to further explain what she’s been through. She explained that the mental block started to happen randomly the morning after the preliminary competitions.
“To anyone who says I quit. I haven’t quit and my mind is simply out of sync,” she wrote.
The final balance beam will be Biles’ individual shooting only at an Olympic medal.
