"Not easy giving up a dream of five years" - When Simone Biles opened up about ending her Olympic quest prematurely

Simone Biles once opened up about the emotional turmoil she faced while withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics. Biles entered the Olympics as the favorite to win after her successful debut appearance at the Rio Games.

In Brazil, she collected four gold and one bronze medal. She spent the next few years honing her skills to improvise her performance and surpass the last Games' victories. However, after experiencing the weight of expectations on her shoulders, Biles started experiencing twisties to the extent that she had to withdraw from the Games.

In an interview with Olympics.com, Biles reflected on the challenging moment, stating that she wasn't used to being present in the spectators' area and watching the competition.

“I hope it sends that first I did this for me and nobody else because I wanted to compete one more time at the Olympic Games,” said Biles. “It's not easy giving up a dream of five years and not getting to do it, so it was really, really hard. I've never been in the stands, so I just wasn't... I wasn't used to it. So, to have one more opportunity to compete meant the world.”

Before withdrawing, Biles won a silver and a bronze medal in team and balance beam events, respectively.

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Simone Biles explains the real reason why she pulled out of competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles of the USA at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles once opened up about the real reason why she withdrew from competing at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Given Biles' determination and resilience, she could have continued competing at the Games, but instead, the legendary gymnast decided to hand over the command to the other gymnasts in the team.

In an interview with Olympics.com, she highlighted that the team's victories were more important than hers and that her withdrawal improved the chances of the team's success.

"I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a back seat to work on my mindfulness, and I knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job,” Simone Biles explained. “I didn't want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screw-ups because they've worked way too hard for that. So, I just decided that those girls need to go in and do the rest the competition.”

Simone Biles returned to the Olympic circuit in Paris in 2024 and won three gold and one silver medal.