Simone Biles Unsure of Olympic Return After Gymnastics Withdrawal

Simone Biles said she is "dealing with things internally" after exiting the team gymnastics final in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Team USA star Simone Biles is unsure whether she'll continue to compete in the Tokyo Olympics after withdrawing from the women's artistic gymnastics final on Tuesday.

Biles withdrew from Team USA's event on Tuesday morning. She left the floor with her trainer after competing in the opening rotation on the vault. Biles struggled with the landing in the vault stage of the team competition, costing the United States points as it faced the Russian Olympic Committee. Biles remained on the floor to cheer on her teammates after exiting the event, but she did not compete as Team USA finished with a silver medal,

Simone Biles was pulled out of the women's gymnastics team final, but remained on the floor to cheer on her #TeamUSA teammates.#SimoneBiles pic.twitter.com/Jn2ulH5PAN

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) July 27, 2021

USA Gymnastics initially said Biles's exit was due to a medical issue, but that was refuted by the star gymnast following Tuesday's competition. Biles said she is "dealing with things internally," adding it was best for the team for her to "take a backseat."

"I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a backseat," Biles said. "Work on my mindfulness. I knew the girls would do a great job, and I didn't want to risk a team medal for my screw-ups."

Simone Biles said she's not physically injured: "That's why I took a step back, because I didn't want to do something silly out there. ... It's been really stressful this Olympic Games."

Said she'll take a half-day break tomorrow and decide whether to compete all-around then.

— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) July 27, 2021

Biles asked what's her goal for Olympics. "To focus on my well being. You know there's more to life than just gymnastics."

— Sean Ingle (@seaningle) July 27, 2021

Biles, 24, is one of the most decorated gymnasts in Olympic history. She tallied four golds and six total medals at the 2016 Rio Games, including gold medals in the all-around and vault competitions. No gymnast in history has more medals in international competition.