(Tokyo) Will we see Simone Biles again at the Tokyo Olympics? A few hours after an at times thunderous evening in which Simone Biles recounted her ordeal and spoke out about her psychological difficulties, the American on Wednesday officially gave up on the public contest scheduled for Thursday.
The suspense did not last long. At least for Thursday. “Following a medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the overall final in order to focus on her mental health,” the federation said in a statement.
The USAF warned that the gymnastics star’s participation would be evaluated “daily” for all events in which the four-time Olympic champion scores: beam and vault, Sunday, floor Monday, and uneven bars Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening, the American entered the all-around tag team competition and explained her “face her demons” as she sought to win six Olympic titles in Japan.
As the media questioned her on Tuesday, tears mixed with her secrets. The Americans had just finished second, their star only participating in the jump before being substituted for the rest of the evening.
“Once I step on the carpet, it’s just me with my head… facing my demons […] I made it clear that I should do what was right for me and focus on my mental health and not harm my health and wellness.
We almost forget that men compete for every prestigious place in the evening.
And that news is also happening in the pool.
In the morning, the finalists for the Queen’s sprint, 100 metres, were chosen at the end of the semi-finals. Eight swimmers will dive Thursday for the main title of this swim week. Among them, of course, is American Caleb Dressel, who is seeking six Olympic titles in Tokyo after his first gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
But Dressel saw Russian Kliment Kolesnikov (21) standing in the semi-finals, who is competing under a neutral banner after the extensive Russian doping scandal, and who achieved the best time in the semi-finals (4711), which is the best time. In season and a new European record. Dressel crashes into a wall in 4723.
Titmus is accelerating
Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, who already won gold on Monday in the 400m freestyle, added a second title, the 200m, ahead of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Bernadette Hughe and Canada’s Benny Oleksiak.
Five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky was disappointed to finish fifth, but solidified herself an hour later by dominating the 1500m final.
Starting slowly, still third in attack from the last length, Titmus, 20, accelerated, as usual, to crash into the wall in front of everyone to the delight of his coach, who was famous but criticized for shouting his joy, without a mask, during the first coronation of his reserve. This time his joy was more restrained but real.
Italian star Federica Pellegrini, 32, took seventh placeNS (1:5591) and thus will not complete her extraordinary Olympic journey with a final medal.
About 120 km south of Tokyo, the “Riders” trot around Mt. Fuji with the experience of time. Unsurprisingly, the great Dutch candidate Annemic van Vleuten, who had already taken the silver on Sunday in the online event, crushed the competition.
Among the men, the favorite is Italian Filippo Gana, but the 44.2-kilometer track with a height of 846 meters may come as a surprise.
In team sports, 3×3 basketball will make its verdict on its Olympic debut. The Serbs between the men and the Americans, the top candidates, are in the semi-finals.
In the rugby sevens, the final will face New Zealand, which defeated Great Britain, versus Fiji, who expelled Argentine Pumas.