Simone Biles Explains Team Final Exit; Will 'See About' Thursday's All-Around Event

AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

American gymnast Simone Biles said Tuesday that she's "going to see" if she can compete in Thursday's individual all-around competition at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo after pulling out of Tuesday's team event.

Biles told the BBC's John Watson (h/t BBC's Natalie Pirks) she would be in attendance Thursday, but she later told reporters her participation in the event wasn't guaranteed.

Biles told Watson she left the team event because she is "dealing with some things internally that will get fixed in the next few days."

According to CNBC's Carl Quintanilla, Biles said she is not injured and suffered only a "little injury to my pride." Biles added: "After the performance I did, I just didn't want to go on."

After falling on her vault during the first rotation of the team event, Biles removed herself from the competition and was replaced by Jordan Chiles.

Per Al Butler of United Press International, a Team USA coach told the NBC broadcast team Biles was dealing with a "mental issue."

USA Gymnastics later released a statement in which it said Biles had a "medical issue" that would be assessed moving forward:

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With Biles out, Team USA took silver in the team event, while the Russian Olympic Committee won gold.

Per ESPN's Michele Steele, Biles said she left the team event because she didn't want to "risk the team a medal." Biles added that her teammates "worked way too hard for my screw-ups."

Biles also said: "It's been really stressful this Olympic Games...it’s been a long week, a long Olympic process, a long year. I think we're a little too stressed out. We should be out here having fun and that's just not the case."

Team USA entered the Olympics as heavy favorites to take gold in the team event after doing so in both 2012 and 2016, as well as at the past five world championships.

However, due to some uncharacteristic mistakes during qualifying, including some from Biles on the vault and balance beam, ROC scored just over one point higher than Team USA.

The Americans were still favored for gold going into the finals, but Biles falling on her vault put Team USA behind the eight-ball, and they had to settle for silver for the first time since 2008.

Biles remains the heavy favorite to win gold in the individual all-around if she participates after doing so at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The 24-year-old superstar is a five-time gold medalist in the individual all-around at the Gymnastics World Championships as well.

Biles also qualified for the finals in the vault, balance beam, uneven bars and floor exercise, giving her five additional chances to win gold after settling for silver in the team event.

If Biles wins gold in the individual all-around, she will make history by becoming only the second female gymnast to ever win individual all-around gold at back-to-back Olympic Games.