Simone Biles: was she courageous to quit?

US gymnast became the talk of Tokyo for not performing

Simone Biles: the GOAT with her bronze medal
Simone Biles: the GOAT with her bronze medal
(Image credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Simone Biles was expected to be the talk of the Olympics, owing to her “jaw-dropping performances” in the run-up to the Games, said Jemele Hill in The Atlantic. Instead, the US gymnast became the talk of the event for not performing. Last week Biles, who has four Olympic golds to her name, and who is often referred to as the GOAT – Greatest of All Time – sensationally withdrew from the team events, after botching a vault in the opening rotation. Commentators were stunned. “She looked lost in the air,” said one. Biles later explained that the pressure had got to her, and that she couldn’t carry on (though this week, she took bronze in the finals on the beam). “I have to focus on my mental health,” she said. The news prompted an outpouring of support, but also complaints that the 24-year-old gymnast had “bottled it”.

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