Simone Biles withdrew from the all–around final on July 28th. Her withdrawal came after a vault where she only completed 1 ½ turns out of 2 ½ . She has since withdrawn from 5 out of the 6 finals that she qualified for. She will be competing in the balance beam final on August 3rd.

Many gymnasts have clarified what exactly went wrong in the event: a phenomenon called ‘the twisties’. Gymnasts rely a lot on muscle memory to understand where they are in the air. Sometimes, the connection between the brain and the muscles is confused, causing the gymnast to lose sense of where they are. In gymnastics, where athletes are vaulting high into the air and performing tricks that could easily end in serious injury, losing sense of direction and muscle memory is extremely dangerous. It can prevent even experienced athletes like Biles from knowing where they are, and from landing properly.

Catherine Burns, a former gymnast, shared a breakdown on Twitter: "Once you've practiced a trick enough, you develop the neural pathways that create kinesthesia which leads to muscle memory...you gain air awareness. [The twisties] often happen under pressure. You're working so hard to get it right that you stop trusting your muscle memory."

Biles's withdrawal has been met with support from fellow gymnasts, celebrities, and Olympics viewers at home. More athletes, including Naomi Osaka, have been prioritizing their health and rest when faced with potential harm. Biles has been commended for her leadership, cheering on her teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, MyKayla Skinner, and Jade Carey.

Biles spoke in an Instagram post about widespread encouragement following her withdrawal: "the outpouring love and support I've received has made me realize I'm more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before."