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Simone Biles flooded with support after she drops out of women’s Olympic gymnastics team final

Simone Biles flooded with support after she drops out of women’s Olympic gymnastics team final

Simone Biles, the most successful US gymnast of all time, has pulled out of the women’s gymnastics final and fans have flooded her with support.

No official reason has been given yet but the 24-year old appeared to have an awkward landing on her opening vault of the team event and briefly left the arena.

She did return but it was confirmed that she would take part in any further events with teammate Jordan Chiles stepping in to replace her.

It was not immediately disclosed why Biles dropped out of the event but the reason was claimed to be a “medical issue.” United States gymnastics added: “She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions. Thinking of you, Simone!”

Biles, who was in contention to win six gold medals, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Olympians ever and this will be considered a massive blow for the athletes and potentially the Games as a whole as she is one of the most famous stars on show in Tokyo.

There was an immediate show of support and solidarity for Biles as she bowed out of the competition, with fans hoping for the best for the gymnast and her wellbeing.

Fans hope the media will respect Biles while she recovers, while some criticised Team USA’s strategy.

Biles stuck around to cheer on her teammates who appeared to be doing their part.

At Rio 2016, Biles finished top of the all-around standings and picked up four gold medals in just her first games however she made some uncharacteristic mistakes in the preliminary rounds of the team competition. Just a day ago she shared a post on Instagram where she mentioned that she felt like she had the “weight of the world on my shoulders at times.”

Biles later told NBC that she is “in shape” but that it isn’t an “easy feat” by coming to the Olympics and being the “head star” but “we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and we’ll see.” She added: “I’m OK, just super frustrated of how the night, but super proud of these girls and now we’re silver medalists.

“Something we’ll cherish forever. We hope America still loves us.”

The United States managed to finish in the silver medal position with Biles appearing on the podium to accept the medal alongside Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Grace McCallum. Gold was won by the Russian Olympic Committee, with Team GB taking bronze.

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