What Happened to Simone Biles at Tokyo Olympics? Why She Withdrew From 4 Gymnastic Events

Gymnast Simone Biles was predicted to bring home a slew of gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, but her dreams ended in disappointment. Here's why she didn't compete in four major events.

What Happened to Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics?

Simone went into the event as the most decorated gymnast of all time, but she began having problems before the competition got underway. She stumbled during warmups and said in her Netflix docuseries Rising, in which the first two episodes dropped on July 17, 2024, that she knew things were going to be “bad bad.”

The athlete didn't complete her required twists during the vault and had a rough landing while in competition for the individual all-around. In a video taken hours afterward, Simone confessed, "If I could’ve ran out of that stadium, I would have." Instead, she withdrew from the event .

"After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health," a statement from the sport's governing body read on July 27, 2021. "We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many."

What Are the Twisties in Gymnastics?

The four-time gold medalist was said to be suffering from the "twisties," where an athlete loses awareness while they are in mid-air, usually due to a mental block, which makes it incredibly difficult to land safety.

Simone "liked" a July 28, 2021, tweet that read, "The twisties literally make you want to quit gymnastics because they don’t just go away. They make it so hard to come into the gym every day knowing your mind and body are fighting against each other. Most gymnasts can definitely recall when they’ve had them and it’s never fun.”

The Ohio native confirmed she had the twisties in a July 30, 2021, post, writing on Instagram, "I can't even fathom twisting. I seriously cannot comprehend how to twist. Strangest and weirdest thing as well as feeling."

Simone went on to withdraw from competing in the uneven bars, vault and individual floor exercise. She returned for her first event, the balance beam final, where Simone made a remarkable comeback. She took home a bronze medal on August 3, 2021, in a scaled-down version of her highly difficult routine.

Simone Had a Bad Feeling Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics

“I’ve always had really good intuition about things,” Simone explains in episode 1 of her Netflix docuseries. “Like, freaky. I never tell people about it, but I can feel a lot of things that are going to happen before it does happen. And unfortunately, I felt that way about the [2020 Tokyo] Olympics.”

Simone Biles Thought the Tokyo Olympics Would End Her Career

“I never thought I was going to be competing again after Tokyo,” Simone explained in the series. “I had to fight demons, day in and day out in training. I really have to prove to myself that I can do this. I get to write my own ending.”

Simone Biles Wants Redemption in the 2024 Paris Olympics

At the age of 27, Simone won her ninth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 2, 2024. She earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team on June 30, 2024, with the highest score in the competition.

“I never want to look back in 10 years and say, ‘Oh, what if I could’ve done another Olympic cycle or at least tried?’" Simone explained in the docuseries. “I didn’t want to be afraid of the sport anymore.”