Simone Biles to Compete in Balance Beam Final in Tokyo, Following Mental Health Break

Despite qualifying for all five individual events at the Tokyo Olympics, Team USA gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of all but one event, citing mental health issues. At the same time, Team USA gymnast Sunisa Lee recently became the fifth-straight American to win gold in the all-around gymnastics final.

USA Olympics confirmed on Monday that US gymnasts Biles and Lee would both be competing in the balance beam finals on Tuesday at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  

The announcement came after Biles decided to withdraw from a total of four events, including the women’s all-around final. 

Despite the public insults leveled against Biles, the 24-year-old has claimed that she has a case of the “twisties” – a term used in the gymnastics community to describe when an athlete loses control during a trick and is unable to determine where they are in the air. 

“That same exact thing that happened to Simone happened to me,” she said. “I got lost in the air.” 

After succumbing to the twisties, Miles landed on her neck and dislocated her fourth cervical vertebra, rendering her paralyzed in all four limbs. 

Additionally, supporters of Biles’ decision have called attention to a number of incidents when minor slip-ups had catastrophic results. 

The 15-year-old went unconscious and stopped breathing before regaining consciousness soon after. However, she later slipped into a coma and was left with severe brain damage. Gomez’s family took care of her for around three years, until the former gymnast died from an infection in 1991. 

Gomez’s tragedy remains one of the most serious accidents to occur at the professional level of gymnastics. 

Sourse: sputniknews.com