Biles withdraws from two of her four finals

TOKYO: Simone Biles appears increasingly unlikely to return to action at the Tokyo Olympics after announcing her withdrawal from Sunday’s individual finals in the vault and uneven bars.

The 24-year-old has not competed since she pulled out of the women’s team final on Wednesday after one rotation, citing mental health concerns. USA Gymnastics said in a statement: “Today, after further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars.

“She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam. We remain in awe of Simone, who continues to handle this situation with courage and grace, and all of the athletes who have stepped up during these unexpected circumstances.”

Biles, for now, is still scheduled to compete in the uneven bars final on Monday and the beam the following day. Biles, who was a vocal presence in the Ariake Arena when cheering her team-mate Sunisa Lee to all-around gold on Friday, said in a social media post on Friday that she was continuing to suffer from a phenomenon known as ‘twisting’.

The four-time defending Olympic champion wrote: “It has never transferred to bars and beam for me. This time it’s literally in every event which sucks. (You) literally cannot tell up from down. It’s the craziest feeling ever, not having an inch of control over your body.”