Olympics
D'Arcy Maine, ESPN.com 3y

Simone Biles withdraws from vault, uneven bars at the 2021 Olympics; status for last two individual events to be determined

SN Olympics, Olympic Sports

TOKYO -- Simone Biles withdrew from Sunday's individual finals in the vault and uneven bars at the Summer Olympics.

"Today, after further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars," USAG said in a statement. "She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam."

The 24-year-old Biles withdrew from Tuesday's team final after her first vault, and she later told the media she no longer trusted herself. She then opted out of Thursday's all-around final to focus on her mental health.

In a series of posts and videos on her Instagram story on Friday, Biles explained she was still dealing with the "twisties" and said her "mind and body are simply not in sync." Twisties is a term used by gymnasts when they feel like they get lost in the air, which can cause serious injuries during airborne routines. 

In one video, Biles is seen attempting a 1½ twist and lands on her back.

"I don't think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competitive surface," she wrote in a caption.

Biles will be replaced on vault by MyKayla Skinner, who had the fourth-highest score in vault during qualifications but hadn't been eligible for the event due to the two-per-country rule. Skinner joins Jade Carey as the Americans in that final.

Sunisa Lee, who earned gold in the all-around event Thursday, will be the lone countrywoman in the bars final as no other American had a good enough qualifying score. France's Melanie de Jesus dos Santos will replace Biles on bars.

Biles had been considered one of the faces of the Tokyo Olympics and the favorite to win the all-around title, as well as the favorite on vault, floor and beam. She won five medals during the 2016 Games, including four golds. She had qualified for all four event finals and had the best all-around score in Sunday's qualifying.

Biles was seen cheering on Lee and Carey from the stands during the all-around final.

"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," USAG said in the statement.

The floor final is scheduled for Monday, and the beam final is Tuesday.

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