Overwhelming support for Simone Biles as she withdraws from All-Around

Team USA tweets: “We’re thinking of you, Simone. Your strength and courage to focus on your well-being is something we can all learn from,” in reaction to today’s USA Gymnastics announcement that Simon Biles will not be competing in Thursday’s individual all-around event, in order to concentrate on her mental health.

“Thank you for being the leader you are” the tweet continues, as support, encouragement and love for the U.S. gymnastics star pours in from fellow athletes from around the world.

Great Britain’s two-time Olympic gymnastics champion Max Whitlock tweeted: “@Simone_Biles you’ve pushed boundaries time and time again. Rest up and take time.”

Biles’ U.S. Olympic teammate Katie Ledecky, who defended her 1500m swimming gold medal on Wednesday, offered her perspective on what the four-time Olympic gymnastic champion might be going though.

“I would never want to speak for Simone or say that I know what she’s feeling because none of us do, but I understand,” said Ledecky, who is 24, like Biles. “We’re at the highest level, we have the most eyes on us of anyone in the world right now.

“The constant attention is not easy to handle,” she added.

Biles, who suddenly pulled herself out of the women’s team event following a vault, fearing injury unsure of her mental strength, was aiming to help defend the team’s U.S. Olympic gold medal from Rio. It remains to be determined whether the 24-year old gymnast will compete in four apparatus events, having also won gold in 2016 in the floor exercise and vault. USA Gymnastics noted: “Simone will continue to be evaluated daily”.

Following her unexpected exit from competition, Biles touched upon the reasons behind her decision at a news conference, while alongside her teammates.

“There are no outlets with the amount of training that we do,” Biles told media.

“It just sucks when you are fighting with your own head. You want to do it for yourself but you’re just too worried about what everybody else is going to say, think, the internet.”

Biles, who is arguably the face of the Tokyo 2020 Games, also posted on social media that she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Her U.S. teammates – Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Grace McCallum - hung on to win a silver medal despite the withdrawal and valuable contributons of their team leader.

Two-time Olympic Alpine skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin expressed not only support for Biles, but also touched upon the inspiration from the entire team.

“So proud of all these women. What I saw on primetime of the Team Event tonight was inspiration and class from every one of them. All love,” the American skiing superstar tweeted.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama sent her best wishes as well.

“Am I good enough? Yes, I am. The mantra I practice daily. @Simone_Biles, we are proud of you and we are rooting for you. Congratulations on the silver medal, Team @USA,” Obama tweeted.

U.S. tennis player Coco Gauff, who was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Games after testing positive for COVID-19, tagged Biles in her tweet saying: “We love you and we are with you”.

Jamaican gymnast Danusia Francis tweeted: “Don’t know about you but when I think @Simon_Biles just empowered everyone to put their mental well-being above everything else. WHAT A QUEEN. GOAT in more ways than one.”

United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief executive officer Sarah Hirshland conveyed her support for Biles’ decision.

“Simone, you’ve made us so proud. Proud of who you are as a person, teammate and athlete. We applaud your decision to prioritize your mental wellness over all else, and offer you the full support and resources of our Team USA community as you navigate the journey ahead,” Hirschland wrote on Twitter.

Biles, who is first woman to qualify for all four event finals at an Olympics since 1992, now has four days before she could compete again. Following the all-around on Thursday, there is a two-day break before event finals for the vault and uneven bars on Sunday, floor exercise on Monday and balance beam on Tuesday.

Follow Brian on Twitter - @Brian_Pinelli