Simone Biles, 24, is pulled OUT of the team final after shock error on vault at Tokyo Olympics – and one day after saying it felt she had weight of the world on her shoulders
- Simone, who was expected to lead the US to gold in the team final, was pulled out of the competition after the first event, following a shock error on vault
- The 24-year-old made a serious mistake on her vault and ended up executing a much more simple skill than planned, resulting in a low score of 13.766
- She was supposed to to a Yurchenko vault with two-and-a-half twists, but bailed out at the last second and only executed one-and-a-half twists
- Simone’s knees also buckled on the landing, propelling her body forward towards the mat, although she avoided falling over entirely
- Shortly after the vault, Simone left the stadium with her trainer and a member of the medical team, sparking fears that she had sustained an injury
- She returned to the floor moments later – but it was then announced that she had been withdrawn from the final altogether, leaving just three athletes to compete
- Simone is now standing by her teammates and cheering them on, suggesting that she has not sustained an injury
- However the team’s chances at winning gold are now dramatically reduced
Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has been pulled out of the team final after just one event following a shock error on vault that resulted in her lowest score in years.
The 24-year-old – who had been expected to lead the US to gold in the team event – was withdrawn from the lineup after flubbing her vault in the opening minutes of the competition in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Shortly after the dramatic error, Simone left the stadium with her trainer and was closely followed by medical staff – sparking fears that she had sustained a serious injury.
Moments later, it was announced that she had been pulled out of Team USA’s uneven bars lineup, and shortly after, it was revealed that she had been taken out of the competition altogether.
Simone, who made history earlier this year when she became the first-ever female gymnast to perform the incredibly risky and complicated Yurchenko double pike vault, stunned spectators when she made a very uncharacteristic error in the team final, bailing out of the skill she had planned to do while in mid-air.
The gymnastics GOAT was supposed to execute a Yurchenko vault with two-and-a-half twists, but bailed out at the last second and only performed one-and-a-half twists, resulting in a much lower starting score.
To add insult to injury, Simone’s knees then buckled on the landing, propelling her towards the mat – although she narrowly avoided falling to the ground.
Her resulting score – 13.766 – is the lowest she has received in years.
Simone Biles has been pulled out of the team final after just one event following a shock error on vault that resulted in her lowest score in years