“Thought We Were Disqualified”: American Gymnast Jordan Chiles Recalls the Shocking Moment Simone Biles Stepped Down at Tokyo

Five months have passed since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics took place. Notably, the event saw many records being broken, as well as first medal victories for a lot of athletes. However, the moment when Simone Biles withdrew from the team gymnastics competition remains an exception in attention received.

As she decided to not take part, she wanted other gymnasts to step up. And Jordan Chiles did exactly that during the Olympic Games. However, she remained shocked at the events that unfolded and recently talked about her preparations for the competitions.

Jordan Chiles recalls Simone Biles withdrawal

When Team USA stepped onto the floor to do their routines, Biles shocked everyone, as she did not want to take part in the competition. This caused other gymnasts to step up. Jordan Chiles rose to the occasion and won the silver medal for her team. Certainly, she is also one of the best gymnasts out there, as she showcased her talents during the 2018 Pacific Rim Championships; She won three gold medals during those games. Now, she recalled the moment when Biles asked her to compete and how shocked she was.

“At first. I was like, are you serious? I thought we were disqualified because we lost a team member. I wasn’t supposed to be on those two events in the first place. Then [our coach] was like, put your grips on. As I was putting my grips on, I was just so confused. I was shaking at that point.

“Then, Simone came over to us and she was like, I want you guys to go out there and have fun. We all looked at each other—we were like, wait, no, we can’t, we need you! You’re literally the biggest person on the team,” said Chiles.

Most of them looked up to Biles for motivation. Since she had won four gold medals during the 2016 Rio Olympics, everyone expected her to go strong in Tokyo.

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Biles’ mental health struggles

Biles withdrew from the competitions, citing mental health concerns. This made every other gymnast rise to the occasion, and they did well. Suni Lee won the gold medal and became the star of the show. With Chiles and other gymnasts stepping up, Team USA won the silver medal at the games.

With Biles now being a prominent advocate for mental health struggles, she has become an example for many to learn from. However, she is still off gymnastics and fans anxiously await a comeback. Do you think she will return to the sport in 2022?

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