"They were like crying"- When Simone Biles opened up about breaking the news about Olympic withdrawal to her teammates

Simone Biles once opened up about her teammates' reaction when she announced that she would withdraw from the remaining events at the Tokyo Olympics. The American gymnast shared that her teammates freaked out by her decision, and she tried her best to motivate them to step on the mat and put forward their best performance in the team event finals.

Biles made her second consecutive Olympic appearance in Tokyo. However, her campaign in the Japanese capital could not go according to plan, as she withdrew before the finals of the team event owing to mental health concerns. Her decision to pull out of the event brought backlash on social media, whereas some fans extended their support and backed her decision.

The most decorated Olympian opened up about informing her teammates about her withdrawal in an interview with People in 2021. Simone Biles shared that her teammates started crying when they heard about the development. The American athlete tried her best to calm them down while reminding them to believe in their training and to compete confidently.

"They were freaking out. They were like, crying, and I was like, 'You guys need to relax, you're going to be fine without me, go out there and kick some butt, just like we've done in training. And just lay it out on the floor and see what happens!" she said.

Moreover, Biles shared that she shared a crucial piece of advice with her teammates and said:

"You have done all the training, you can do this without me and it will be just fine."

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When Simone Biles opened up about enjoying her Olympic debut experience

Simone Biles competes in Artistic Gymnastics- Olympics: Day 4 - Source: Getty

Simone Biles opened up about her debut Olympic appearance in an interview with Olympics.com. The American athlete shared that she had a lot of fun competing in the Brazilian capital. Biles expressed how she could feel the camaraderie and team spirit while competing and shared that she felt as if everyone was rooting for each other.

Moreover, Biles expressed how the Olympic Games brought the world together and celebrated sports as a whole.

“In 2016, it was so much fun, the camaraderie, the team spirit, everybody’s rooting for everybody. I feel like that’s world peace. Time stops. Doesn’t matter what color you are, what religion you are, what you support, what you don’t support, everybody comes together to support their athletes and their country,” she said.

Simone Biles concluded her debut Olympic appearance with four gold medals and one bronze medal.