Simone Biles hints she could withdraw from remainder of Tokyo Olympic Games

[@eveaudrey9662]

Keeping my eyes on Suni Lee. She really stepped up and gave an amazing performance.

[@misshana1996]

It's sad to me to hear the other girls saying "it's all you girl" implying that their win was because of Simone mostly, like any other gymnast is just invisible when Simone is there and that is a mistake the media has contributed to. I just felt like I wanna reach out to the rest of the girls and tell them you are amazing as well and this medal was your work! Please USA fans and media aknowledge the other girls and their talent as well!

[@zxyatiywariii8]

Yes I agree! They're all awesome, and a team, and although Simone is the most talented, I have love and respect for all of them!❤️ Especially because I use to love gymnastics but never anywhere near this level; so I can see how incredibly talented they ALL are.👍🏽

[@drewsfjord]

Nah, She was their only hope. These other girls are not on the level of other teams. Facts.

[@aliciaa4859]

@@drewsfjord is that why they still won silver over the six other countries? you’re talking out of your ass

[@laquoya9816]

I felt like they were referring to her having the awareness to withdraw and know that she wasn't mentally there to continue. It wasn't saying that they weren't good, it was saying that she put her pride aside and trusted them enough to go out and finish strong for the team. Not many people would take themselves out. That's leadership.

[@drewsfjord]

@@aliciaa4859 I know isn't it amazing?

[@tb1235]

Being the GOAT isn't all about talent, it also has to do with humility and poise.

[@michaelmontana251]

Compare to Mary Lou Retton

[@cusegirl5]

that's the dumbest excuse heard all day

[@gwinbeer]

You just unintentionally ended the Jordan vs Lebron GOAT debate in one sentence 🤣

[@kylejohnson6070]

Please stop competing and do America a favor, and don’t represent us. You don’t deserve to wear the colors as a quitter. That’s not who America is, and you are not the image America wants. You are a quitter. Then quit. Don’t come back!

[@robertandrews3055]

I couldn't agree more. It just seems like part of being the GOAT in any sport should be the ability to handle the pressure and come through for your team no matter what.

[@kennethgoldsmith3851]

Ridiculous question. They won silver and they did a great job. Give credits to everyone who competed or not competed. It’s a team sport. They relied on each other mentally as well.

[@Sharon-zg7zd]

That’s so true.

[@TSpeaks]

That part!

[@Theguys1]

Team? She walked out on them.

[@myblacklab7]

The team doesn't do as well when one of the team members bails. Imagine if a basketball player suddenly decided not to play for mental health reasons, and it was 4 on 5.

[@DearlyBeloved652]

@@myblacklab7 Basketball players get benched all the time for having a bad game. That's what it sounds like here too. They were better without her risking a low score for the team. With most team sports, you can sub a player out to fit the situation the team is in. It only seems to be a problem here though.

[@brihmendiola4347]

Yes it's good she stepped back. Worst case scenario: broken neck, legs or spine as oppose to winning a medal? I think not. She'll be OK in time for AA and apparatus finals. If not, it's not the end of the world. It's her body and her mind. She used her intelligence to protect herself.

[@kylejohnson6070]

Lol she’s a coward, and a quitter. She should never wear the American flag again. It doesn’t represent us

[@vinceypoo]

@@kylejohnson6070 hows your double piked yurchenko?

[@nmnash68]

@@kylejohnson6070 Simone Biles has won 19 World gold medals and 4 Olympic gold medals, what the hell have you done?

[@elenapresley6936]

I respect her and her choices, but she should withdraw from the other finals and focus on her mental health. It sends a bad message sitting the team final out today, only to be out and performing less than 48 hours later for individual glory. Especially since Jade Carey is more than capable to step in for individual AA, with potential to even medal. She's been poised and consistent and can handle it.

[@DigitalRHN]

Only thing "hurt" were feelings. Lets hope she stands aside for some fresh new talent that wants to earn the medals.

[@123savanabanana]

If you’ve ever been a gymnast you know that bad days happen, and it’s not something to take lightly, you are flinging your body through the air at dangerous speeds and heights. It’s better to take the day off then push through it and do something you regret for the rest of your life

[@chandlerhoward7172]

@John Warner what have you done exactly??

[@YoYo-thegfhf]

I thought you are trained for it.

[@YoYo-thegfhf]

@John Warner she was lucky the first time , kkk

[@talentshow6176]

oh and this came as such a surprise to biles.. she had no idea she would be flinging her body before she got into the team for olympics and took the spot of another athlete who might have sounder mental fortitude.

[@leykimayri]

@John Warner And if you ever decide to finally use your brain you’ll stop posting stupidities on the internet

[@gissellec1724]

NORMALIZE ADDRESSING AND UNDERSTANDING MENTAL HEALTH IN ANY CAREER

[@bryantbryant4697]

I agree, but I know people who literally walked through shit everyday, had only showered with rain water and eaten crumbs out of trash cans. All of that to make a decent life and succeed in their own right. It cracks me up that mental problems come up with athletes who have it all. Literally everything and they can't continue or whatever. Such a soft generation, soft athlete and thats why they get ridiculed.

[@gissellec1724]

@@bryantbryant4697 you sure don’t understand mental health.

[@TheNamezZ]

You don’t understand that you get though it anyways. Life don’t stop when you want it too. She chose to compete at the highest level and help her team win and did the exact opposite. Bringing the morale down too. Called herself the goat and braced and chickened out. Wasn’t protecting herself from injury🤷🏽‍♂️Played through injuries before but she was underperforming and decided to be like nvm.

[@TSpeaks]

@@bryantbryant4697 Dude I want to see you even do a perfect handstand without hurting yourself. Simone does the hardest skills women’s gymnastics has EVER seen. One wrong move or bad landing and you could paralyze yourself or worse (it has happened countless times). If you are not mentally in it, no gymnast should compete. Then add the pressure from the entire world expecting you to win and that weight could crush anyone! No matter how macho you try to act online, I dare you to walk on a global stage with 16+ Million people watching and see how you perform. Not you nor I could never truly imagine what that does to someone. Don’t act like she just woke up and didn’t want to go to work because she’s lazy or soft-she’s does one of the hardest and most dangerous sports in the world-you have to be able to put pride aside and take care of yourself first. Plus one fall could have knocked the US down even further (look at China this year). She made the right call, because if she had kept going and then hurt herself-all of y’all would say “well she should have known her limits and stopped acting like the star of the show 😤” No matter what she does it will never be enough for some people.

[@gissellec1724]

not everyone can get through mental health issues. mental health impairs anyone from living their day to day activities. Imagine all the extra pressure competing at the highest level of your sport and your mind not being right. I’m sorry y’all see her as a weak person but she is far from weak. I hope non of you suffer from mental health illness.

[@ladyg4602]

So proud of the girls who continued on to win the silver medal, it was more like winning a gold medal considering the shocking circumstances that evolved, it showed there tenacity and there strength and courage.

[@Auropegg]

Simone did what was best for herself! This was a TEAM competition, therefore there's not only Simone. Jordan, Suni and Grace did an amazing job and they had so much pressure on them. They proved that they can be such a strong team even if the best gymnast in the world is not competing with them. Of course Simone would have helped, but if she didn't feel like competing, i'm happy she took this decision, maybe she would have ended up injured. Anyway, they did an amazing job and the got the Olympic silver medal🥺👏

[@lauralarrabee7870]

Maybe she should have sat this one out and waited until 2024. Does feel like a selfish move. Her spot could have been occupied by someone else

[@Auropegg]

@@lauralarrabee7870 this is quite funny. Do you really think she would have done it if she didn't feel like it was necessery? She trains 7 hours a day, 6 days a week, she has given her life to this sport(like all the other gymnasts) and now that she has the chance, again, to represent her country at the Olympics, well she quits 'cause she's just selfish. I think she is the first one to be upset but she's just a human and she has feelings and problems. Anyway, i'd really like to see all these people judging her do the things she does;)

[@lauralarrabee7870]

@@Auropegg she should have retired then and go out gracefully instead now she looks like someone who couldn’t stand to lose. She took the spot that another gymnast was better prepared could have filled and then bailed when things didn’t go her way. The real world is too much to handle for some I guess. Gotta take the good with the bad

[@gregher4621]

Yup you even said it yourself. This was a team event and she did what was best for her not the team. No instead of having that extra score all the other 3 scores counted no matter what happened. She quit on her team. Please stop with the excuses. People keep saying she has nothing to prove and have won everything. Well her teammates were here for the first time and didn't they deserve to have a chance to win gold too?

[@Mwoods2272]

She will compete in the individual events.

[@marcstrusa]

May God bless and protect everybody at the Olympics.

[@sking2173]

Except the USWNT ....

[@AsFewFalseThingsAsPossible]

It works better if we help by actually doing rather than wishful thinking.

[@mikerzisu9508]

@Banned Again no one cares about your opinion

[@Warren1814]

@Banned Again Yes he his..

[@Warren1814]

@Banned Again Yes his is.

[@jwil2414]

Its more of the media than the actual sport that causes this.

[@victorious9097]

When you fail at the highest level, you take your lumps and lose your title. When you fail because you quit at the highest level, you lose it all and it defines you for the rest of your life.

[@Peacefullyfree365]

No it’s being on the internet and Facebook. Put the phone down and concentrate on your life.

[@corazoncubano5372]

And social media.

[@jwil2414]

@@victorious9097 She did what was best for her team. Had she continued they would of lost. All those other ladies who had not one won anything would be going home with nothing.

[@ctruth6185]

@@victorious9097 failure at a sports contest doesn't define the rest of your life. Knock off the drama.

[@SheepSleepAsleep]

I'm so proud of Simone for prioritizing her mental health. If she'd broken an ankle or had another injury, NO ONE would be calling her a quitter. Why do we treat a brain pushed beyond what it can handle any different?

[@valmacclinchy]

100%!!!

[@valmacclinchy]

@Sheron Edge sadly, you don't seem to appreciate the health of another person. That's a shame.

[@Autumn_Forest_]

EXACTLY!!! Well-said!!

[@samoth5161]

@UC8HlkAT6QgSTXTZNRbyW-Kg like you have any idea what it means to be in the Olympics idiot

[@KL-xy3hb]

@Sheron Edge she has won more Olympic gold medals than any gymnast ever. If she competed when she was mentally not 100% okay, forget losing the medal for her team, she could have ended up dead or paralyzed. Gymnastics isn’t a sport that’s safe to compete in if you’re having an off day mentally. She is a human being. Not robot. No one is immune to having off days. Just so happens that she is in a sport that when you have an off day it could kill you.

[@tchaffman]

It's our fault that she's in this position. Especially the media. The media put the weight of the world on her shoulders with all this stupid 'GOAT' pressure on her to boost their ratings. She's a human being like all of us. I hope we can give Simone some space to breathe, cause she needs it. And whether or not she continues in the games, I hope she sees a sports psychiatrist to talk about what happened this week.

[@kylejohnson6070]

GOATs play through and accomplish. Simone is a coward and a quitter. She should NEVER wear the flag again. She doesn’t represent us.

[@jamj4u]

Do you think that she is the first gymnast to ever get that type of pressure?

[@kalumbas2860]

Isn’t she the one that had a goat printed on her leotard though?

[@maddie8415]

The commentator during the Olympic trials made me so angry when he said it was "ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING" when she fell of the beam and just couldn't get over it! Well, I guess he's never had to stay on one of those before because it's NEVER shocking for ANYONE to fall off a balance beam. No one should ever be under pressure to be perfect all the time!

[@chestermicek]

There's a lot of people going nuts on the professional golf tours: Matt Wolff & Drunken Murphy come to mind.

[@dapperdan3204]

What about the three other girls sitting there who actually stepped up and won the silver medal? Don’t they deserve some recognition?

[@dannywang4543]

They do. But because Simone came into this as a star and a favor to win, that’s why everyone is putting the responsibility mostly on her shoulders. And that’s just not fair to her. She doesn’t owe anyone anything and can quit if she thinks it is the right decision.

[@emilydanford9903]

Controversial opinion: I don't think she should compete in the all around. I think she forfeited that right when she pulled out of team competition. I get that she's going through a tough time, and if pulling out of team competition was what's best, then so be it. But then that should be it for her for this Olympic Games. You don't get to withdraw and put your teammates in an impossible situation and then return to win individual gold. That wouldn't be right.

[@montserratgalvez8531]

100%

[@nonyabuisness6619]

I agree, doesn’t seem fair to just pick and choose when you’re going to participate. I think she backed out of the team event so she can save all her energy for the all around, she’ll be back watch lol.

[@novasky6206]

She made it clear she did not want to hurt the team. If she is competing individually, she only hurts herself if she makes a mistake. I think that is perfectly fine. This is just a sport, just a game, if she wants to compete individually and take a backseat in team, so be it.

[@RAconsciousness]

I think she sacrificed herself again. She knew her scores were gonna be low and that the others deserved to get a medal because they had worked so hard.

[@SarahZi1998]

@@RAconsciousness if she didn’t feel well to begin with then she shouldn’t have participated to begin with and give a chance to one of the substitute gymnasts

[@reneehenderson4818]

She knows when enough is enough. She is not the whole team, everyone acts as though she is.

[@minavamp2811]

she's not the whole team, but you don't quit your team while competing, not unless you're physically injured, which she's not. there are 2 possibilities. had she not quitting she could bring her team to a gold medal or she could drag her team down of not having to win any medal at all, or came in 2nd or 3rd, but at least she can walk away and say "hey i did the best that i could that day, win or lose".

[@ladymusiclover]

@@minavamp2811 mental "injuries" are just as damaging though

[@DRdreamer23]

@@minavamp2811 wtf she lives by her rules, not yours

[@minavamp2811]

@@ladymusiclover but my point is win or lose you don't quit on your team. if she feels that she could injure herself physically or mentally, then she should go home and pull out of the olympics now. but she's not going to because, she has 5 more individual events that she thinks she can win. that is just selfishness, if she ends up competing all other individual events.

[@Melia_Lea]

@@minavamp2811 Like Paprika Child said, mental injuries are just as bad. Trust me. Athletes really struggle if they're not mentally strong. Actually just humans. When I was in competition, I knew when I wouldn't do well, because I wasn't mentally healthy. And I wasn't competing in anything physical lol

[@Demetri450]

It's called team work. They won a silver with three.

[@gymworld8609]

Wait why didn’t they use an alternate?????

[@3xinarow990]

@@gymworld8609 they definitely used an alternative. No way they got a silver using three while everyone used four.

[@jaquelineleocadio2565]

@@gymworld8609 The didn't because she withdraw after the competition start.

[@jaquelineleocadio2565]

@Mia Li No they didn't. There are 4 people in each team, but only 3 compete per exercise. Simone only competed on the first one, the other 3 girls did the rest.

[@lawrencejelsma8118]

@@gymworld8609 ... I think they did use an alternate because a couple days ago top two of each country were to compete on Monday. With one of those two withdrawing meant the one Lee? and Biles replacement as team were up to top 12 score ranking of 24 (two from each nation) were allowed to compete on Monday.

[@lalo-kn1no]

I get it. I really do. But to think of the other gymnast that were hoping for a spot just to watch her withdraw is kinda terrible.

[@tristanlee6538]

They have alternative to replace them but those alternatives was under quarantine since one got covid

[@katiekushnier7351]

they have alternates tho so really a spot wasn’t wasted and she did compete day 1

[@Theguys1]

Notice how the other “team” members are ignored.

[@c0gimyun]

this was not the entire conference and she is the star the goat

[@revchai6897]

don't take mental health issues lightly just because they're not directly observable like a broken ankle. surely, as an athlete who's won countless gold and other medals for her country, the decision to tap out was not one that she made thoughtlessly--especially given that she has five more opportunities to medal for the usa in the coming week

[@AJM2408]

I agree. I think we need to make media more responsible. In my eyes if she had a mental problem she should be able to speak through her handlers and quitely dissapear into her private life. This criticism comes from publicity so lets hope we add rules to protect those with mental issues.

[@kadamowicz68]

She will still catch hell no matter what. I feel bad for her.🙁

[@ROCKDEES1]

Her mental health issue is that she failed her landings and believed her own hype so much that it crushed her when she failed it. That is no excuse to quit. At this point of elite athletes they have access to everything including mental health/wellbeing. She flopped and couldn't handle it.

[@kadamowicz68]

@@ROCKDEES1 wow. And that’s exactly the attitude we don’t need. How many Olympic medals do you have?🤔 So she should have gone out there, risked injury, and perhaps the silver medal all to look “strong” for you loving American fans. 🤬

[@TheTruthiest]

@@kadamowicz68 That's what this competition is about kid, risking everything for your country. Not everyone gets a medal. If you are not mentally strong enough, then don't sign up.

[@heathercullen]

She did the right thing, quit before injury and her team did their country proud !!

[@jessenelson5616]

Since when has any other ace of a team pussied out last minute

[@MarioMartinez-tt9ly]

This made me lose respect for her . I’d respect her more as an athlete if she went down on last place but fighting instead of quitting. Pretty weak move on her part .

[@Galimah]

@@MarioMartinez-tt9ly what are you complain about? she wants to save her strength and focus for the individual competitions. good tactics

[@smileyface8434]

@@MarioMartinez-tt9ly you’d have probably lost even more respect for her if she’d gone on “fighting” and totally messed her and her team up due to the pressure 🤦‍♀️

[@amaamponsahhhh]

@@MarioMartinez-tt9ly Excuse me? Let me just remind you that if you in her position you would do the exact same thing. You are not an olympian, you have no experience or sympathy.

[@Jallison94-jq2wj]

Shes a quitter. She was making mistakes so instead of beaing a leader and trying to put her best foot forward she quit. Its pathetic and she doesn’t deserve to be on the team. Typical gen z attitude.

[@swalterstennis]

I agree 100%. If our grandfathers had this attitude we woulda lost a couple wars.

[@harpchannel8627]

Would never have happened if the Karolyis were still running the show!

[@robinmonahan7192]

Mental health is so important. Leave her alone people and become educated.

[@breaks_n_stuff4049]

You clearly are missing the point. She needs help, seek it and head back to the US now. She is all about herself and her BIG head. No wonder it finally exploded

[@veendace3195]

She mentioned in an earlier interview, she is getting into her own head and starting to let fear play in her head. The more you know and experience definitely can mess with anyone. The pressure/anxiety is a horrible issue to deal with.

[@Mwoods2272]

She's going to compete in the individual events, there's more pressure than the team competition.

[@ddiesel1836]

nothing any professional GOAT athlete has not experienced

[@flyingwhales1991]

Right. How to be better than your previous self when that was already the best in the world? She’s been trying to up the difficulty of her routines, then trying to execute, followed by pressure from the media and towards herself. It’s too much for any person

[@Pian0Mon]

She wasn't in the right headspace and how can anyone win a Gold medal if they're not 100% in it? They wouldn't have done better than Silver if she'd stayed in the competition. Takes a lot of guts to do what she did. Calling her a quitter is easy to do when you're sitting at home watching on your couch. She's human and this is only Gymnastics.

[@rachelwatley173]

Guts or not... she (as a team captain) QUIT in the middle of an Olympic TEAM competition... If she needs to take care of her mental health, I am all for that, and hope she is able to fully recover and one day return to competition. But she literally quit, thus making her a "quitter". It is what it is... Nobody is saying that she isn't a phenomenal gymnast, she is undisputably one of the greatest gymnast to ever compete in the sport, but there is nothing honorable about quitting in the middle of a competition. The true Champions today are the rest of her team Suni, Jordan, and Grace! They stepped up to the plate, and did AMAZING!

[@Pian0Mon]

@@rachelwatley173 I don't blame you for thinking that way, but you're making this too simplistic. You need to consider that this is the culmination of years and years of pressure building. She was practically born in a gym. She's missed out on life in a way that neither you or I or anyone can really appreciate. Due respect, but she's done things already that you'll never do in your entire life. We're not in a position to judge. It's just not something that we can possibly understand. She wasn't 100%, there's no way the outcome would've been different if she stayed. If anything, it would've been worse. She made the right call. It wasn't meant to be.

[@kervang5152]

@@rachelwatley173 Amen to that. I rest my case.

[@nmixx.changeupletsgo]

what jordan said made me smile 🥺

[@anniekosten3850]

So many different videos have had comments about what Simone did or didn't do in making her decision. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for her to step back after all of the training, waiting out COVID, and years she's given to the sport. One thing I do know is that none of us are HER and we don't know what she was dealing with. All of the speculation, especially the negative comments, don't serve the team or Simone given that they worked really hard to get there together. I don't think comparing her to other gymnasts from the past is fair either because none of them dealt with pandemic year going into their Olympics. I really admire this team and I'm so glad they are there.

[@myblacklab7]

I wish she would have withdrawn before the Olympics, so someone else could have taken that spot - many women would risk death for a chance to compete in the Olympics.

[@xoxonyiah872]

@@myblacklab7 I don’t think Olympics that important for somebody to risk their death

[@thiaco6203]

@@xoxonyiah872 there have been MANY injuries which ended in complete paralysis, broken bones and careers of elite and lower leveled gymnasts. There was 1 elite USSR gymnast who had not recovered from breaking her leg, yet competed and wound up breaking and severing her SPINE. She was paralyzed for life. Sadly, she did state she was happy her gymnastics career was over. She passed away not too long ago. You can find her story on KZbin.

[@ctruth6185]

Some of us are dealing with life & death issues. these games were supposed to provide some distraction for those dealing with heavy life issues. Don't condescend to the public. The problems of rich, famous, sports stars are peanuts compared to what some of us are dealing with.

[@ctruth6185]

@@thiaco6203 If Simone is so scared of getting injured Quit the sport right now. Injuries are a part of sport. She's just making women look inferior as athletes.

[@TheRich7190]

I respect her decision. Mental health is very important. I just think there is more to this story that will come to light.

[@danarenee2931]

I respect you! completely agree!

[@dianepereira1860]

I agree. It's her life it's her decision. She has proven to herself and the world what a top notch athlete she is. No one knows what she is presently going through except those who she confided in. Let her live in peace. 🕊

[@generalzod7959]

Oh there is more.

[@thehutch7728]

General Zod like what?

[@skipfluck4299]

At some point you got to be an adult and grind it out. It was cowardly and embarrassing.

[@tofromks]

Surprised this happened, not surprised why. Being the best in the world and constantly being challenged has to eventually get in your head during competition. I respect her more than I did yesterday.

[@tutubito08]

She betrayed her team when this needed her the most. I respected her yesterday. No respect today.

[@KL-xy3hb]

@@tutubito08 in the one event she competed on today in the team final, she scored lower than the other competitor on the US team would have scored if she had competed. Therefore, her pulling out of the competition might have honestly been a selfless choice to not sacrifice the US chances of a medal. And she made that choice knowing that people like you that don’t understand would drag her for it but knowing it was the right thing to do anyway. If she had made a similar mistake on another event she could have jeopardized the US chances at earning silver. She is a human, she is not a robot and she is not perfect. She made a mistake she has never made in competition and it cost the USA at least a point and a half. She gave other competitors on the team who could score higher the chance to compete instead of her on the other events, knowing they could score higher with how poorly she was performing that day. Gymnastics isn’t a sport you can just muscle through… your brain has to be able to process competing multiple flips and twists at the same time and keep full awareness of where the landing is… if her brain could not perform that complex task today (as demonstrated on vault), she could have not only kept team USA from earning a medal but also could have ended up paralyzed or dead. That’s reality of the difficulty of the skills she performs. If she is off by even the tiniest muscle movement at the wrong time she could break her neck or sustain another serious injury.

[@trendymaths2467]

@@tutubito08 she doesn’t need your damn respect, she’s still the greatest gymnast ever and what she did was for the better of the team.

[@weedermann]

Look at HOW READILY and QUICKLY her teammates rallied behind and around her. You can't fake that.

[@gundamhufflepuff2383]

Bro - do you really think they are going to go against the media darling publicly? They would be dragged through the mud if they actually spoke out against her. Use your brain.

[@DavidHuston]

All the nasty comments from people who have never accomplished a fraction of what she has. You should be ashamed.

[@vikingbeachbum]

She should be ashamed , she is a quitter , and you should be ashamed for coddling her

[@cardion411]

THAT PART!!!

[@GalacticNovaOverlord]

@@vikingbeachbum strategically it was a good move for both her and the team.

[@xoxonyiah872]

@@vikingbeachbumbut you at home watching her compete? You care about gold medals than her getting injured

[@jazzpink2449]

@@vikingbeachbum another angry white male

[@中華傲訣]

If she is not fit mentally, she should not go for Olympics trial.

[@roselyncaro8119]

I don't buy it! It's supposed to be TEAM WORK.

[@nmnash68]

Simone Biles has nothing left to prove in her gymnastics career, things didn’t work out for her today, these thing happen, even to the most decorated female gymnast in the history of the sport, she did the right thing by sitting out the rest of the team competition, and if this is to be her last competition, I’m sure she’ll wanna go out as a champion.

[@dmmchugh3714]

Mental health, sudden burnout or fear of failure ? And I'm a fan of USA sports, but these can affect the best athletes.

[@dm5129]

Mental health is not separate from physical health. Taking some time off is needed, it is really plain and simple.

[@pattyolson3842]

@@dm5129 I totally agree! They go hand in hand.

[@willwud]

Fear of failure!!!!!! She’s ditched her team. Selfish!

[@nicoletrudell2065]

@@willwudShe literally said it was fear of failing the team and costing them a medal in the mental place she was in. Her vault showed her mind concentration wasn't there and knowing she wasn't going to be able to get her head back on track in the little time she had, she made a decision that likely saved a medal for the team. That's the opposite of selfish.

[@willwud]

@@nicoletrudell2065 u bore me. She quit on her team. No excuse for that

[@hotdognobun]

She has nothing to prove. Already a legend so of this is the last we will see her compete I just want to say thank you for representing our country

[@gregher4621]

Nothing to prove? Why waste a spot then? Let someone else compete who wanted to.

[@shirleypena4133]

@hotdognobun If she has "nothing to prove" then she should have stepped aside and given the opportunity to compete to another athlete who DOES believe that she DOES have something to prove.

[@hotdognobun]

@@shirleypena4133 Do you understand the level these gymnasts are performing? If your mental state is off you do know the kind of abilities they do and one mistake can end their career by injuries especially getting paralyzed. No medal is worth someone mental health. Go back to living your stress free life and live off your parents with your selfish comments.

[@gundamhufflepuff2383]

You can praise her for her prior hard work, but that doesn't make her above criticism for being a quitter this time.

[@kenbina]

She quit on her team.

[@katyp5914]

Who knows better about herself than Simone? Good for her.❤🙋🏽‍♀️

[@kylejohnson6070]

And don’t ever expect to wear the American flag again, Biles. You’re a quitter, and America deserves sooooooo much more.

[@katyp5914]

@M TWO X Okay?!💯🙋🏽‍♀️

[@mckennakeene1983]

@@kylejohnson6070 I’d love to see you compete at the Olympics with that much pressure. Oh wait, you never could have the mental stability to get there in the first place 🥰

[@ROCKDEES1]

Exactly, she should have quit before the Olympics since she clearly was not prepared mentally for it. She took someone else's spot.

[@willwud]

Snowflakes like u fuck this world. She quit on her team mates!!!!!! Unacceptable

[@209jjj]

The reporter who asked the "they" question hit it on the nail

[@Common_Sense_With_Auntie]

She answered it in the best way, taking all accountability for her mental health and knowing she wasn't at her best and that's humility!

[@berghuisbs]

@@Common_Sense_With_Auntie You're as gullible as they come. Let me guess, you're a millennial or a gen Zer right?

[@evacody1249]

@@berghuisbs let me guess you don't understand how team gymnastics works. She stays in the team never gets the sliver medal.

[@johnwang6118]

quitting is quitting, don't sugar coat it

[@c.r.4793]

I think she’s had a lot of stress on her shoulders for months and TBH some of it was self inflicted because she took SO many endorsements. She also showed up to competitions with goats bedazzled to her Leotards so while I respect her decision to put her health before the medal, I think It would’ve been more admirable for her to not attend the team competition at all and instead let one of the alternates have a chance to compete instead. Mykala and jade woudve given a limb to be in her spot.. I’m more disappointed for the girls who didn’t get to take this shot than for the US not winning gold.

[@c.r.4793]

@punker88 agreed! She’s human, and we all make mistakes. This was a blunder on her part and that’s OK. But let’s not call this an admirable move. Had she checked out one day earlier the girls would’ve had a chance to prepare for the new apparatuses they needed to compete in. It would’ve given them an extra girl on the team to help them out.

[@goingplaces408]

Thank you. I’m surprised more people aren’t acknowledging the fact that she brought a lot of this pressure on herself. Multiple documentary type specials and shows, multiple endorsement deals and ads, goat on the leotard. 🤷🏻‍♀️ seems like a lot of distraction and self-imposed pressure. Gotta prioritize mental strength over the money if you want to help USA get to gold.

[@c.r.4793]

@@goingplaces408 agreed! It’s a learning experience for her and others. It also doesn’t take away anything from her accomplishments. The silver lining here is that the other tremendous athletes will get some attention now that she stepped out of the lime light.

[@MrMireyacon]

Didn't Simone's scores qualify the team to get into the finals in the first place? She had the highest scores out of all gymnasts which contributed to the overall team score. She was also the only gymnast who qualified for each of the individual events.

[@chpnlzt]

HER COACHES ARE ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC FOR LETTING HER QUIT, THEY SHOULD HAVE SAID, GET YOUR TIGHT LITTLE ASS BACK OUT THERE AND SHOW 'EM HOW IT'S DONE, IF YOU'RE NOT INJURED THERE WILL BE NO QUITTING ON THIS TEAM, THEY SHOULD HAVE MADE THEM ALL AWARE OF THIS WAY BEFORE GETTING TO TOKYO, PATHETIC SPORTSMANSHIP TO LET HER TEAMMATES DOWN LIKE THAT, IN LOOKING BACK IN 5-10 YEARS SHE IS REALLY GONNA REGRET HER DECISION, HER TEAMMATES LOOKED SO DISAPPOINTED.... !!!

[@MC-ij7yw]

She seems like a perfectionist- once she messed up- it was over for her - in her mind

[@Demetri450]

BS!

[@moonporter3861]

Bad female time of the month can distract her..

[@locopoco6933]

she was worried to get injured which would result in the team finishing last place. so she had to withdraw in order to give the other girls a chance to medal

[@silverlimosine]

@@moonporter3861 pretty sure these Olympians use birth control or other hormones to stop themselves from getting a period during competition

[@mollflower725]

Agree

[@thejack3432]

It's called quitting. And it's disgraceful

[@natkieus]

Mental health is just as important as physical health. Gymnastics is a dangerous sport, if your head is not in the game, you risk a very serious injury. Simone did the right thing. As it’s not decided whether she will continue to 2024, I really hope she feels better and attends the rest of the finals as she really deserves to end on a high! Simone is still the GOAT ❤️

[@TheTruthiest]

What does this have to do with mental health? Don't diminish people with real mental health issues by conflating it with this spoiled athlete who let the pressure get to her in the moment. That's just a failure to perform, not a mental health issue.

[@flyguy7702]

Please 😂

[@natkieus]

@@TheTruthiest I’m not diminishing anyone with mental health! YOU ARE WITH THAT COMMENT! Are you aware of everything she has been through with USA gymnastics? She was a victim of the sexual abuse scandal! I suffer with my mental health, have for many years. And I have learnt that everyones mental health is different and everyone suffers in different ways. Even top athletes can suffer. As I state in my previous comment, it is not safe for a top athlete to perform if their mind isn’t there as they risk serious injury! Americans need to get past this mentality that winning is the only that it is important because it’s not!

[@kjhghhff]

Where exactly did she say it was about her mental health?

[@natkieus]

@@kjhghhff she said right at the beginning she needed to work on her mindfulness. Meaning her head wasn’t mentally there, which is dangerous when performing gymnastics.

[@wifeoftheparty7107]

But back in 1996 Kerri Strug broke her ankle on her first vault and STILL completed her second vault! Securing the gold for her team!

[@xoxonyiah872]

Okay? Miss girl broke her ankle for a gold medal…that’s nice and all but I wouldn’t be risking my life just so USA can have a couple of gold medals lol

[@carlfrye1566]

@@xoxonyiah872 I guess you didn't pay attention, it's a TEAM medal, she quit on her TEAM. Her prerogative but did she talk to her teamates prior to withdrawing? They also worked years to win gold, Biles ended THEIR dream too. Yes, she owes American fans nothing, she didn't quit on us she quit on her TEAM.

[@xoxonyiah872]

@@carlfrye1566 okay but how do you know they feel this way? Literally all the girls were supportive for her.

[@xoxonyiah872]

@@carlfrye1566 you acting like they didn’t have alternatives for this situation …

[@ChristianCampos24]

Simone said it herself. When you are younger, you are FEARLESS!! As you get older you start feeling the pressure, you try your best to be perfect. Mentally Simone hasn’t been all there and yet she’s still performed better than everyone else. Her stepping out and allowing her teammates to step in is what a true leader does. We are lucky to have Simone. 🇺🇸🙏🏽

[@AJM2408]

I'd say she definitely shows humility but in my eyes walking away means standing down from leadership duties so now we need to find the new leader and future of our gymnastics team. The next four years should be exciting for all the gymnastics fans.

[@kylejohnson6070]

Simone Biles should be banned from wearing the American Flag EVER AGAIN. You are a quitter and a coward

[@terryconway7278]

@@kylejohnson6070 The coward is the one speaking on her. What American are you as i might consider. Irrelevant bye Felicia

[@terryconway7278]

You go out there and do what she does. Ooh you can't!

[@eugenemotes9921]

@@terryconway7278 She purposely let her team down. She is a Quitter

[@Flatbush4Life]

Simone CAN NOT do the individual events now. If she does her quitting today will go down as the most selfish act in sports history.

[@bartek4536]

Cannot is one word.

[@charissa1908]

Your comment is very, very stupid

[@willwud]

Agree

[@willwud]

Oooooohhhhhhhhhhh

[@damygeebo]

"Quitting is the mark of a true champion, and I intend to go out on top." 😂😂😂

[@mattg8788]

😁😁

[@jeanettewalker3315]

Thank You Amen for the Wisdom Simone Biles Yu're A Special Young lady.❤️❤️❤️❣️❣️❣️❣️❤️

[@jeanettewalker3315]

🤗🤗🤗💖💖🤗🤗🤗😊😊

[@yorubaba6087]

Wow, you wouldnt think that there are any female gymnast other than Simone.

[@slotwhiz1]

She is the GOAT!!

[@breaks_n_stuff4049]

SB is a quitter. Ultimate team player/ captain failed. STOP PRAISING HER. She needs to cancel all the individual comps.

[@willwud]

agree!!! She even took the limelight over the girls she fucked that won a shit silver. US win gold always n she fucked them!

[@LVXMagick]

Man Simone is an amazing mature wise young woman. The presence of mind, the conviction of your truth, and the wisdom of self it takes to do what she just did is light years beyond her time. Our country better be supportive and show her we value healthy Americans over medals. She deserves all our love and support for all she has done for years to represent us. I will forever love all my women's gymnasts, but she holds a special place in my heart. I did Gymnastics for 13 years and what she has done to out abuse in the sport and put herself first as a human being is something that will benefit generations of girls and I can not thank her enough.

[@skipfluck4299]

No she is a quitter, nothing honorable about that.

[@darrenbalagot4643]

I’m glad Jordan spoke up at 3:36. Being a leader of a team takes a lot of humility, and teammates don’t realize that sometimes a leader needs to be reassured as well. I’m also glad that the reporter said to her “you keep saying “their”, but you’re also a part of that team.” Simone must have been under a lot of pressure for her to sit out during the team finals. Everyone was _expecting_ her to win the gold for everyone, but she knew she wasn’t mentally okay and if she went on with the competition, it could’ve cost the other girls a medal. She made a smart move as an individual and as a team leader.

[@namusmys8616]

Wow, a lot of people feels that they have the rights to say something about her and her decision.

[@gundamhufflepuff2383]

Idk if you realize this, but in America, everyone has the right to have opinions on anything. Quit being a gatekeeping douchebag. She's a quitter. Get over it.

[@namusmys8616]

@@gundamhufflepuff2383 You have no rights to call me a douchebag.

[@ddiesel1836]

the GOAT conversation is not focused on skill alone. It is about not quitting and delivering when the Chips are down. Jordan, Brady, Montana, Graff, Djokovic; they are GOATS

[@ctruth6185]

You left out Serena Williams. She is the true goat. Serena has powered through all kinds of medical maladies, injuries, hardships and obstacles. Serena Williams is the true definition of legendary. 39 major titles and 4 Olympic gold medals. Even her sister Venus Williams competes while battling an immune disorder. Para-Olympians put Simone to shame. The sporting life is glory, grit & grimacing. Don't sent a girl to do a woman's job. Let the grown women speak.

[@skipfluck4299]

@@ctruth6185 He is not a Goat

[@FreeAtLastMinistry]

Stop making excuses for Simone. Whether its mental issues or not, she gave up. You all think she is being honest, she is not. She is setting things up for herself. If she quits, she was brave and put the team first. If she continues and wins a medal, she is showing powerful and tough she is. This is a setup all the way. I guess the mental issue is now the go to excuse for losing. If she thinks the girls can do it, she needs to quit now, so that the girls can prepare to go on without her. I don't believe Kerri Strug, quit after her first vault resulted in an injured knee. As I recalled, she continued and completed her second vault almost flawlessly and they won the Team Gold. Stop with the excuses.

[@Emily-qg3ej]

Just like a basketball player would be benched if they kept costing the team, she benched herself.

[@asht0n785]

Bahahahaaaa!

[@joejones3094]

You can't go on now after you quit on your teammates

[@neft16]

As soon as she thought she might not win everything, she backs out. Pathetic, lack of spine!

[@gingerpos4132]

1) Gymnastics is super dangerous. Gymnasts can be paralyzed or killed if they make mistakes, and it’s perfectly fine that she didn’t want to risk that 2) It wasn’t just her victory on the line, it was her teammates’. If she would have stayed in, knowing she would preform poorly, she could have ruined their shot at any medal, not just gold. 3) I doubt you’re really in a place to call any Olympian pathetic

[@kc4208]

@@gingerpos4132 part of being an elite athlete is mental strength, not only physical. Look up the gold winner in womens figure skating for 1994. She had a traumatic childhood and beat out seasoned and accomplished skaters because she never gave up ..... determination. Figure skating is not considered a safe sport either. Simone gave in to her weakness and it is fine, but that is not the mark of an elite athlete and she has to be ready to take the heat since she talked herself up prior to this. The other issue is her complaining about not having fun. It is not Disney world, she is at an elite competition. It is not for fun .... it is for hard working dedicated ppl ... talent is part of it, but you have to have mental strength as well She proved one thing: she is not an elite athlete. Just wish we had known sooner.

[@petergriffinson1907]

@@gingerpos4132 so you telling me she sign up for this and not know those risk 🙄🙄 quit living in the “what if’

[@neft16]

@@gingerpos4132 If you think the reason _any_ Gymnast pulls out in such a situation (i.e. without a severe physical injury) is that "they might die" you have no idea about elite sports. They have spent their entire lives training and are more than willing to put their body on the line. What they are not willing to do - apparently in this case - is put their ego on the line. Simply talked herself too much, grew too big for he god dang boots, and couldn't handle the idea of not winning everything!

[@Maxwell_83]

The rest of the team was too gracious to her for her still explicable exit. The team carried her and still was able to win the silver medal.

[@sonnycarter8447]

She will have a "miraculous' recovery I'm sure, to win Individual Gold and more endorsements, and promote herself as usual..

[@jnielson3683]

We have no idea what happened behind closed doors. Anxiety is debilitating. And she obviously didn’t make this decision Alone. Notice she does NOT consider herself a silver medalist. She is not trying to take a glory

[@musiclist5566]

Lol yeah right

[@saxpoobielex7769]

Too gracious according to who? Its was their team, their meet, and their medal. It's their grace to give. The level of difficulty for the whole team was possibly upped because they was trying to get on the team with her. Mental break is worst as bad as an injury. She could have killed or paralyzed herself if she tried to continue.

[@saxpoobielex7769]

@@sonnycarter8447 God is in the business of Mericles! Let's pray that it happens. If not there are women on the team that can win a gold on their own.

[@megancarman8193]

They didn’t get an alternate. She started the competition. She didn’t need to be perfect she just needed to try her best and persevere. How do you quit when all these girls stumble and struggle at times and continue?? You quit while representing your country. An opportunity every young gymnast wants. Super disappointed.

[@johnx9175]

Exactly. Look at those girls falling and continuing throughout the competition… i don’t also think this should go easy on her mental compared to pulling it through without a medal

[@xoxonyiah872]

so she should get an injury?

[@megancarman8193]

@@xoxonyiah872 she should try her best and complete her competition like ALL the others. They all take that risk every day. If tom brady threw two interceptions then quit the super bowl it wouldn’t fly either. Just do your best dont live in fear

[@xoxonyiah872]

@@megancarman8193 so like I said she should get an injury… so America could have a great image?

[@megancarman8193]

@@xoxonyiah872 missing the point. Not about medals about doing your best and being a team player

[@Higherseeker]

Huh? She said nothing useful.

[@skaterdude14b]

“Scared for the first time, everything just clicked What if I don't really do the numbers they predict? Considering the fact that I'm the one that they just picked To write a chapter in history, this stuff has got me sick”

[@FreeAtLastMinistry]

You hit the nail right on the head. 100%. She overstepped her vault, which everyone has done, and panicked. As you recall, a few months back, she hinted that she would be graded unfairly because of how difficult her routines would be compared to others and her penalties may be more severe. Don't get me wrong, she is a great gymnast, but she has been riding this GOAT train for three years and now that it is time to pay the conductor, she doesn't have the ticket. But all this does is setup for the big show, if she competes and win gold in individual events, all of sudden she will be the most mentally strong black woman gymnast in the history of the Olympics. Wait for it, because its coming.

[@Therese-1001]

@@FreeAtLastMinistry She’ll still be the GOAT. And team USA will still have a medal.

[@FreeAtLastMinistry]

@@Therese-1001 Simone is ranked 17th for total Olympic medals and tied for 6th on Gold medals. If she decides to compete in the individual competition, the most she could win is 4 Golds and she would still be 2nd in Gold and tied for 7th in total medals. After quitting on her teammates to avoid looking bad, she removed any notion of her being the GOAT. If she decides not to compete, she would place behind fellow American Shannon Miller currently 7th in total Olympic medals.

[@Therese-1001]

@@FreeAtLastMinistry She still kept the team in medal contention. Look at the scores. If she continued to earn scores of 13 or less, the team would have ended up near the bottom of the rankings like China. They would not have made the podium. Gymnastics is also a sport of numbers. Look at the scores and do the math.

[@cthoffman9351]

I love the way she's speaking for the team after quitting on them

[@nicoletrudell2065]

She didn't quit ON them, she quit FOR them, knowing she wasn't in the head space to complete her routines and it could cost them a spot on the podium. Meanwhile, you'll never accomplish anything close to what she has, stay mad about it.

[@cthoffman9351]

@@nicoletrudell2065 I'm not mad, just disappointed. I would be willing to bet her teammates would rather go for gold and not receive any medal than to quit and get silver because "the goat" decided she wasn't feeling too great mentally. when you call yourself the goat at 24 when quitting on your team, you brought the attention to yourself. don't complain when people who have lived, breathed, watched, and/or competed in sports their whole lives don't appreciate your actions.

[@shirleypena4133]

@ct hoffman Isn't it a hoot, lol! 🤣🤣🤣

[@slugger1236]

STOP HATING ON SIMONE

[@buxtehude123]

ALL Olympic athletes feel pressure. to use this as an excuse is inexcusable.

[@miri9885]

But you did cost your teammates a gold medal! You make excuses, but your teammates stepped up and did their part, and you just quit on them... That isn't greatness, thats being selfish.... "I cant be the star, so let me make it about me in another way!" Your teammates deserve better!

[@meladgoat]

not saying she doesn't have anxiety but seems like a copout cause she knew she was gonna lose. if you don't want the pressure maybe don't become political like osaka? and don't call yourself the goat? and do all those commercials and photoshoots? even brady doesn't call himself the goat

[@nicoletrudell2065]

She IS the GOAT. Her career results show that objectively. She didn't "know she was gonna lose," she knew she wasn't in the right head space to perform and it could cost her teammates an Olympic medal if she tried. It says a lot about you that you think athletes taking care of their mental health is political.

[@Luxurythings333]

Lmao Tom Brady was literally one of the first people to call her the GOAT. And he’s the producer of her FB series. The only people questioning her decision are people who’ve never accomplished anything in their lives before. This one misstep does not take away from everything she’s does up to now

[@gorand4291]

I wish people would give the same benefit of the doubt to other athletes when they quit. Djokovic has been put through hell for years bc he quit on several occasions when he was younger. Today Simone is celebrated for quitting!

[@Anwenn1]

Hopefully it's a change in attitude.

[@frostexclusive1659]

Yes bc it was about ... I don't know how to put it.... FUCKING TIME TO SEE ATHLETES AS HUMAN BEEINGS! .... holy

[@clairesyoutube]

no she isn’t. don’t you see the tons of people hating on her?

[@reggiereg1785]

Quitting is now called withdraw by the media .

[@thedustthatsettlesj9231]

I am shocked at the amount of people commending this. We throw out the term mental health and anyone who says anything against it is considered insensitive. But dare I say this isn't mental health she choked and put the pressure on her younger less experienced team mates. And no I haven't achieved what she has so before you get salty I recognise her achievements and the pressure she was under and maybe her withdrawing and not costing her team the medal is somewhat admirable but the other girls wouldn't have had that option when they got nervous. I'm sorry I have no idea what it feels like to have the weight of the world on me but I can't say this was a noble decision either. Instead of USA losing because of her now the rhetoric is they won because she did the right thing and withdrew.....image is everything

[@davecarlson392]

She choked! Period...

[@myblacklab7]

Totally - this was weak, and a strong signal that pushing every American to embrace a victim mentality is maybe a bad idea. We are glorifying victimhood so much that Simone would rather be a victim of herself than an Olympic medalist.

[@paelie]

I think she did choke, but that doesn't mean that there weren't any mental issues that led to that. Tbh I was surprised and amazed that she was actually living up to her GOAT hype for a long time before the Olympics, when I think any other athlete would've fizzled out way before. I'm only speculating of course, but it wouldn't surprise me if she had panic attack not long before the vault and decided to cut her and her team's losses by withdrawing and not chancing the later events/wanted to save herself for the event portions. It's not fair to say that the US lost just because she withdrew (it's impossible to know either way). If she competed and bombed everything, knocking the US out of the podium, they're be backlash and she'd be SOL for event finals. At the end, all that matters is that Simone did what she thought was best for her and the team, and if she thought it was the best, then it was. The rest of the women thankfully rallied and did their best and they delivered.

[@xoxonyiah872]

Simone shouldn’t be putting the US before her

[@swalterstennis]

I agree with you 100%. She quit. And she’s celebrated. What a generation these kids are.

[@thinkt7613]

Well, Simone Is a human being!!! Mental health Is also important. If she doesn't want to do something everybody has to respect that.

[@kylejohnson6070]

You’re a quitter. Please do America a favor, and stop competing! We don’t want to be represented by cowards.

[@mermaedman]

@@kylejohnson6070 she's not a quitter she was literally doing what was right for her and her team lol

[@GMoneyXL1969]

@@kylejohnson6070 Simone's routines were off because a lower leg injury. That hampered her performance on the floor (Ace bandage on leg) and vault.

[@KL-xy3hb]

@@kylejohnson6070 I would rather the USA not be represented by ignorant assholes, but sadly… 🤷🏼‍♀️ here you are.

[@e.l.4860]

And can someone please explain to me how the crowd not being there is stressful? I thought it was the other way around. I've always heard of fears of big crowds, not empty rooms.

[@theresajones6149]

Because energy is real and athletes and entertainers feed off of it. Just watch a concert. I've heard music artists say they transform into someone they could never be without the crowd's energy.

[@nathan-qo9rj]

they thrive off of energy. dominique moceanu and dominique dawes have talked about this recently

[@dancingoctopus9888]

For me at least (not an Olympic athlete, just a competitive dancer, who had to deal with same set up)- competition is not fun. Performing is fun. Judges make the competition, audience makes the performance. Going out there for no other reason than to be judged and criticized is a different mind game.

[@rodneygilbert9131]

It takes no talent to quit, anybody can do it!

[@willwud]

Selfish. She ditched the team. They didn’t win n she sits there lapping up the media..............narcissistic

[@rodneygilbert9131]

@@willwud thx

[@willwud]

@@rodneygilbert9131 wait to see what the ❄️ reply. I’ve gone in on a few!!! Sad fucks

[@nicoletrudell2065]

You’re saying you have no talent - we know.

[@willwud]

@@nicoletrudell2065 focus on the weight loss

[@Didewro]

GOATS don't quit. Thank ggod the others arent quitters.

[@mountaindragon7289]

If she’s suffering from mental health then it make sense not to compete in the individuals. Otherwise this would make her image even more worse. Period.

[@berghuisbs]

Now that's a sensible comment. It's obvious though that she pulled out of the team to not ruin her chances to win 5 individual golds. It's all about her, screw the team.

[@debyahysrael8264]

It's all about her personal pride. If she is not the GOAT, she's taking her ball and going home. She's such a wimp! She thinks she's too good to get a silver medal.

[@nelliejoy8428]

I hate how everyone worships her. I can’t believe she still got a silver medal and she didn’t compete. What a joke.

[@mckennakeene1983]

@@nelliejoy8428 she did compete vault actually

[@mckennakeene1983]

It’s really not. She wouldn’t have been safe if she kept going. Idk if you watched, or if you know anything about gymnastics, but her warmups for vault looked super scary and off.

[@debyahysrael8264]

@@mckennakeene1983 Oh PULEEEEZE!!!

[@nelsonnblottt5803]

That's very unfortunate, a bit selfish even. She could have ceded her place to another gymnast who have been hungry to win at all costs.

[@ratterrierdogma]

There’s a LOT of negativity going on in posts about this athlete.

[@ajgerbi]

I used to like Simone but now I realize she was never a team competitor and only cares about herself. She maybe the GOAT but she’s not a teammate.

[@pattyolson3842]

I agree with you. Are any of you commenters elite athletes? If you are, have you competed at the Olympics during a global pandemic? Do any of you know what it's like to have all that pressure to be the best? Do you understand what it's like to compete in an empty stadium? Do you know what it's like to compete without your family there, thousands of miles away? I certainly don't. Do all of you understand what it's like to have ADHD? That's one thing I can say yes to. If Simone Biles wasn't at her best and thought loosing focus could lead to an injury, then believe her. She knows her own mind and body better than anyone else. Who are you all to judge that she bailed on her team or is a quitter? Unless you've been in her shoes you are no one to judge. One thing is for certain, Simone Biles is a human being, not a machine. And humans can only take so much. She certainly didn't do this on purpose and, yes maybe she will be in a better place mentally in a couple of days. Talking with trusted family & friends might help. But these judgemental comments certainly won't.

[@xoxonyiah872]

@US VET her teammates shouldn’t depend on her. How is it selfish to not want to get unfurled? It was better for her to sit out then injure herself later on

[@xoxonyiah872]

@US VET they shouldn’t just expect Simone to carry all the points though and like I said how is she selfish when she wasn’t trying to get injured later on

[@xoxonyiah872]

@US VET okay ..

[@sedevacante0027]

She should've tried instead of quitting. What a disgrace.

[@xoxonyiah872]

stfu, talking about a disgrace.

[@kangarookids7497]

Didn't two black British soccer players just do something similar? Wonder how much money is involved.? Teammates deserve the best from each other. I imagine every one in the Olympics is nervous. I would hope this woman identifies her problems ahead of time, and lets someone else get on the team if she is" too worried".. I doubt if she will be on another team, though.

[@michellesmotivation777]

There are too many negative comments about this girl. smh. She did her best and what was best for the team. Ya'll cant deny how good she is at the sport. Lets support and uplift one another, not bash.

[@Heart2HeartBooks]

IN THE OLYMPICS SHE QUIT!!!!!!!!!!! NO WORSE TIME TO SHOW YOUR TRUE GRIT AND SHE FAILED MISERABLY!!!!!!!

[@kervang5152]

I agreed, NO WORSE TIME TO SHOW YOUR TRUE GRIT AND SHE FAILED MISERABLY!!!!!!!

[@CrotaTheCruel]

I hope she never gets sponsored again. what a shame to be representing the United States. The olympics are every 4 years and she decides that it’s too much? Mental stress? God this country is pathetic.

[@peternaungayan4719]

It would be best for her and the team that she discontinued. Just so the rest of the team can focus on the remainder of the competition. Best of luck to Simone.

[@jordanepistola5085]

I hope she bounces back strong from this and wins gold at every other event to silence the haters.

[@freedomdancerrj]

Don’t withdraw because u can’t be first. Compete and enjoy being there. Be proud of yourself regardless of ranking.

[@mockapp6973]

Agree plus her voice is stressful

[@jeanienguyen1543]

found the undercover racist! ^

[@daughterofgod4927]

In gymnastics, it was the best decision for simone to opt out of the competition as a matter of fact. Becahse gymnastics team scores are amalgamated and each member's scores contribute toward the overall TEAM score which is what determines there win. It was a smart move and it is what made USA even get silver in the first place. Or else they wouldn't even place. People should really stop tearing pieces of what everyone else is saying and try to understand the situation for themselves. Its quite frustrating.

[@mockapp6973]

@Viper 6 Do really believe in the world of sports that black people are afraid to lose to whites. Stop your self importance because you are not 100% white.

[@BB-zk6sl]

The fact of the matter is is that this was a TEAM event. She let down the TEAM. She screwed the alternates out of an opportunity to take her place and compete. An opportunity that they will probably never have again. If your going to withdraw, withdraw from the individual competition, not the team event. She will lose all my respect if she competes as an individual

[@hi28528]

Exactly, especially with her implying that it is more of a stress/mental issue. Those don't go away in 48 hours, she let the team down by putting herself before the team, and left everyone scrambling, trying to pick up the pieces.

[@nicoletrudell2065]

Nobody cares about having the respect of a gutless anon troll account.

[@BB-zk6sl]

@@nicoletrudell2065 sounds like something someone who didnt care about their teammates would say

[@rpcook98]

Good. Quit on your teammates might as well quit on your country.

[@hannaj4032]

She’s not remorseful in the least. She didn’t want to be associated with anything less than perfection. A true champion stays the course and accepts the defeats with the victories. Maybe don’t sew the GOAT logo on your uniform until you retire.

[@martaguinn8085]

She shouldn't feel remourseful mental health injuries are just as bad as if not worse than physical injuries

[@tommyholsworth8390]

Imagine Tom Brady sitting out the superbowl and telling his backup to go in. It wouldn't happen.

[@tommyholsworth8390]

That was incredible i remember watching that. I just used Tom Brady as a reference because he's the actual GOAT.

[@FirstLast-rd6hw]

How do you go from a great representative of the US to a true embarrassment? She took a spot from someone else who wouldn’t just lay down and quit.

[@RuthyLook]

Too many distractions and not enough discipline. ''I just let the girls do it and focus on myself''. It's all about yourself but forget about representing your country.

[@evacody1249]

So she should have stayed in and cost them even getting sliver?

[@lasvegasbowingfanatic1666]

a lot of gymnast from other counties were off in their performance but they never walked out on their teammates

[@Therese-1001]

The announcers said they had not seen someone pop a vault like skaters pop jumps. Simone was off her game. Everyone scored higher than Simone on the vault except 3 people and their teams finished 7th and 8th. The US would have been at the bottom if Simone had continued to underperform. By withdrawing they were able to claw their way out of that hole and make the podium.

[@Therese-1001]

@SweetPEAches69 Apparently it’s mostly coming from the alt right. MSNBC reported that surveys indicate the the majority of the viewers of CNN and MSNBC support Simone while the viewers of Fox News do not. 🤔

[@jkane764]

My suspicion is there something more that is not being said. According to NBC calculations, even with the errors she had, she still would have won individually one every event. If she felt that the Olympics was a problem, she could have "bowed out" and not traveled to Tokyo at all. Why work so hard to throw it away at the midnight hour?

[@winterhug4331]

July 27, 2021 - Yes, I also think there is more that is not being said. I think the real reason Simone "bowed out" was because of the team. I think the media has put Simone up on such a high pedestal, that some members of her team felt that they were NOT needed that Simone could win all on her own. So maybe to prove to her teammates that they are/were needed, Simone stepped back and let the team compete on their own. I listening to every word Simone said during this interview and this is what she is/was saying without saying it exactly. Simone was also on Team USA in 2016, did the press hype her up then as well? Did any of her teammates become jealous or loose confidence? We don't know because the team won Gold... For me, I still think there is no love loss between Simone and Gabby Douglas... I think Simone did what she did for the team, right or wrong.... As Simone said the team won Silver without HER.. Whether is was for her teammates or herself, Simone will forever be the GOAT. I don't care what her haters think...She will always be loved❤

[@swearnim]

She took a wise decision.That saved her from the injury and save the team medals. The lesson is for the american media is don't ever say," Usa will win with their B TEAM" don't overpressurise your gymnasts.

[@dlwilburnjr]

She quit.

[@mitchya7990]

Health and safety first. Simone could've been seriously hurt if she didn't withdraw.

[@haloba5843]

When going gets tough the tough get going, she’s a quitter. End of story.

[@shirleypena4133]

@Mitchy A Do you seriously think that the concern for one's personal health and safety is what competitive sports is all about?! Thankfully, Kurt Angle, Kerri Skruggs, Mary Lou Retton, Tom Brady and other genuine heroes of Sport don't agree with you. Come to think of it, just any every facet of living requires humanity NOT to place their own personal health and safety first. Think what a horrible world this would be if EVERYONE felt as you do.

[@texmexskywatcher6732]

You are so right... she could have SERIOUSLY sprained a wrist...lmfao

[@mitchya7990]

@@haloba5843 How many medals you have? And let me see you do the Biles. How would you feel if you see her bed ridden or paralyzed?

[@mitchya7990]

@@texmexskywatcher6732 Let's see you do one of her signature moves in gymnastics AND how many medals do you have?

[@Victoria-iu5sb]

Seeing her own words is completely different to how this is being portrayed. She didn't let her team down, she quit because she was so off that she didn't want to risk lowering their scores and thought they would be better off without her. She also gave full credit to her team mates and said that the silver medal is all theirs. She was humble. I think it's a real shame if she quits entirely, as at 24 she is already old for a gymnast and she might not get another Olympics. But only she knows herself, and she hasn't let anybody down. She did the best she could, and made the best decision she could. Her "quitting" was tactical and may well have enabled the USA to get the silver medal.

[@lizard944]

She quit. Fortunately, that makes people who come in last place, and are near death while crawling over finish lines, look like even bigger heroes.

[@kc4208]

I keep thinking of oksana who won gold in 94 figure skating. She was amazing

[@r987p]

Ricky Bobby dads had a talk with her " If you ain'tz first, you're last!!!!"

[@da1fromdaheightz]

Dam this girl talks better than the nba players on interviews

[@berghuisbs]

It doesn't take much.

[@willwud]

Shame she can’t take a back seat to the team she just fucked over though hey?

[@nathan-qo9rj]

@@willwud do you really value a damn medal over simone’s wellbeing?? she could’ve injured herself SEVERELY you dumb fuck