After having exited the women's gymnastics team final on Tuesday, and then quitting the individual all-around final scheduled for Thursday, America's superstar gymnast Simone Biles has now decided not to compete in the Tokyo Olympics finals for two of the four individual women's gymnastics events, vault, and the uneven bars.
A CNN report quoting USA Gymnastics said that Biles has cited mental health concerns as she attempted to protect her body and mind, as the reason for the withdrawal.
Among the top favorites to win big in these events, Simone Biles had said earlier that she was wary of her positioning midair, which was a significant concern.
Biles, who has won every individual all-around competition she had entered since 2013, will continue to be evaluated daily to know if she would compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam. The women's vault and bars finals have been scheduled for Sunday, while the women's floor final will get underway on Monday. The beam final is Tuesday.
In place of Biles, it would now be MyKayla Skinner, who will be competing in the vault finals for the U.S.. Compatriot Jade Carey will play alongside.
Ledecky concludes pool haul with four medals
America's ace swimmer Katie Ledecky has finished her Tokyo Olympics medal quest by winning four medals in the pool. These include gold in the women's 800m freestyle and the first-ever women's 1500m freestyle race.
Termed the "greatest swimmer of our time" by none other than Michael Phelps, Ledecky takes home medals in the Women's 800m freestyle; Women's 1500m freestyle; Women's 400m freestyle; and Women's 4x200m freestyle relay events at the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old swimmer currently has in her kitty ten career Olympic medals, including seven golds.
Ledecky is now looking forward to the games of 2024 and possibly 2028.
Connor Fields to remain in hospital
Connor Fields, the American BMX racer who met with a severe accident on Friday, suffered a brain hemorrhage and was admitted to intensive care. CNN reports he is recovering and is out of the ICU at the moment.
The racer, a gold medal winner at the 2016 Rio Olympics, will have to stay in hospital until doctors clear him, the report quoting USA Cycling said.
During the third run of the men's semifinals on Friday, Fields met with the mishap and had to be taken off the competition track in a stretcher.
U.S. men's fencing team wear pink masks to protest against team mate's inclusion
In a significant development, Team USA's men's fencing team members too out a unique protest against a teammate. According to NPR, the men's fencing team wore pink masks for their opening match as a show of support for sexual assault victims. They were protesting against teammate Alen Hadzic who has been accused of sexual misconduct.
Hadzic was chosen to represent the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics, and team members Jake Hoyle, Curtis McDonald, and Yeiser Ramirez wore pink masks to proclaim their displeasure.
Hadzic has been accused of sexual misconduct between 2013 and 2015 by three women, the report added.
Hadzic denied these allegations and successfully appealed a suspension that would have dumped him from the U.S. team. Hadzic was suspended from all fencing activities by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an independent agency investigating sexual abuse in Olympic sports. However, an arbitrator ruled that the suspension was "inappropriate to the allegations."
