Simone Biles will return to the Olympic floor tomorrow (Aug. 3) to compete with her team in the Balance Beam Final, USA Gymnastics confirmed in a tweet on Monday (Aug. 2). The final will be the last event where the decorated gymnast will have a chance to take home a medal from this year’s Olympic Games.
“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!!” USA Gymnastics tweeted. “Can’t wait to watch you both!”
The news arrives after Biles withdrew from five Olympic events saying she needed to focus on preserving her mental health. The 24-year-old previously said she was suffering from “twisties,” a gymnastics term that refers to difficulty making safe landings, which could cause serious injuries.
After announcing her withdrawal from last week’s all-around competition, Biles said the pressure she felt while competing at the Olympics was too much to handle.
“I don’t trust myself as much anymore. Maybe it’s getting older. There were a couple of days when everybody tweets you and you feel the weight of the world,” she said in a statement. “We’re not just athletes. We’re people at the end of the day and sometimes you just have to step back. I didn’t want to go out and do something stupid and get hurt. I feel like a lot of athletes speaking up has really helped.”
Biles received support from fans, such as Former First Lady Michelle Obama; and former athletes, like Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes for the decision.
“My heart goes out to Simone,” Dawes told TMZ. “There’s no way that one would sacrifice and dedicate their whole childhood to finally qualify [for] their second Olympic Games, have to deal with being the only sexual [assault] survivor, the survivor of the Larry Nassar scandal, on the floor competing, as the role model, as the trailblazer, then get to the Olympic Games and have this mental block.”
However, Biles will now compete alongside US gymnast Suni Lee at the Games tomorrow. See USA Gymnastics’ tweet below.