Simone Biles Will Compete In The Gymnastics Balance Beam Final

Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles Will Compete In The Gymnastics Balance Beam Final

It will be her first appearance since she dropped out of the team all-around competition last week, citing her mental health.

by Ikran Dahir

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Updated on August 2, 2021, 2:29 pmPosted on August 2, 2021, 11:17 am

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{ "id": 127513433 } Mike Egerton - Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images

Simone Biles.

{ "id": 127513428 }

Simone Biles will compete in Tuesday's balance beam final, her first since pulling out of multiple competitions for mental health reasons, USA Gymnastics announced Monday morning.

{ "id": "1422112558920601601", "params": { "conversation": "none" } } USA Gymnastics @USAGym

We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow - Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!

08:30 AM - 02 Aug 2021 Reply Retweet Favorite Twitter: @USAGym { "id": 127513428 }

Last Tuesday, the superstar gymnast withdrew in the middle of the team final after she stumbled upon landing during the vault. In a press conference afterward, Biles said that she did not feel right mentally in the buildup to the event.

"I was just, like, shaking, could barely nap. I just never felt like this going into a competition before, and I tried to go out here and have fun," Biles said.

On Wednesday, USA Gymnastics announced that Biles had also backed out of the individual all-around competition "in order to focus on her mental health."

"We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being," USA Gymnastics said in a statement at the time. "Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many."

On Friday, Biles did a Q&A on Instagram and posted a practice video to further explain what she has been going through. She explained that the mental block started happening randomly the morning after the preliminary competitions.

"For anyone saying I quit. I didn't quit my mind and body are simply not in sync," she wrote.

The balance beam final will be Biles' only individual shot at an Olympic medal.

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• Simone Biles Pulled Out Of The Women’s Gymnastics Team Final Due To Mental Health Concerns Ade Onibada · July 27, 2021
• Simone Biles Withdrew From The Individual All-Around Gymnastics Final Alex Campbell · July 28, 2021
• Simone Biles Explained Exactly What Happened During Her "Petrifying" Vault After Previously Saying She Could "Literally Die" If It Went Wrong Ben Henry · July 30, 2021
• What Simone Biles Did At The Olympics Is Revolutionary Elamin Abdelmahmoud · July 28, 2021

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  Ikran Dahir is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in London.

  Contact Ikran Dahir at [email protected].

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