Tokyo Olympics: Piers Morgan attacks Simone Biles decision to quit gymnastics final

Simone Biles’ decision to abruptly quit the gymnastics team final last night was praised by many — but not everyone was satisfied with her reason for walking away.

Controversial commentator Piers Morgan has weighed in on American gymnastics prodigy Simone Biles dropping out of the team final last night, labelling the decision “a joke”.

Biles, a four-time gold medallist, pulled out just minutes into the women’s team gymnastics final in Tokyo last night after baulking on her first vault attempt.

Speaking after the event, Biles revealed “physically, I’m in good shape” but explained she did not know where she was in the air on her first vault and had been “fighting all those demons” inside her head.

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Simone Biles competes in the vault event of the artistic gymnastics women's team final. Picture: Martin Bureau/AFP

She pulled out because she did not want to jeopardise her team’s chances of winning a medal.

“It’s just me in my head,” she said.

“I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardise my health and wellbeing.

“We have to protect our body and our mind. It’s very unfortunate this has to happen at this stage ... it just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head.”

The USA went on to win silver in the team final, behind the Russian Olympic Committee and in front of Great Britain.

Biles’ huge decision was praised by many but not everyone was satisfied with her reason for walking away.

Morgan, who was forced out of his hosting gig at Good Morning Britain in the UK in March for repeatedly saying he doubted Meghan Markle’s mental health issues and suicidal ideation, allegedly brought on by the royal family, took to Twitter to attack Biles.

Are ‘mental health issues’ now the go-to excuse for any poor performance in elite sport? What a joke.
Just admit you did badly, made mistakes, and will strive to do better next time.
Kids need strong role models not this nonsense.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 27, 2021

There was immediate backlash to his comments with many pleading with him to “stop writing nasty, spiteful stuff just to get attention”.

“You do realise they are being role models by talking about their mental health. We need and want more people to talk about it. We don’t need people like you making snide comments like this and adding to the stigma. You’re part of the problem,” was one of many Twitter responses.

But Morgan doubled down on his attack of Biles three hours later, blaming Twitter’s “virtue-signallers for fuelling this culture of celebrating weakness”.

In the early days of the Olympics, Morgan has also taken to Twitter to water down the achievements of athletes that did not win gold medals.

Athletes are now deemed more courageous, inspiring & heroic if they lose or quit then if they win or tough it out, which is ridiculous.
I blame Twitter’s virtue-signallers for fuelling this culture of celebrating weakness. The real world doesn’t think like that.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 27, 2021

While Morgan took the attack route, many threw their support behind Biles, including her former teammate Aly Raisman.

Raisman, who captained the USA Gymnastics team at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics to gold medal finishes, reminded the world of the pressure the team was under.

Just a friendly reminder: Olympic athletes are human & they’re doing the best they can. It’s REALLY hard to peak at the right moment & do the routine of your life under such pressure. Really hard.

— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) July 26, 2021

Other commentators took to Twitter to explain the level Biles was competing at, and the pain she had already battled through.

The number of men running a "well if I didn't show up to my job" argument about Simone Biles is just embarrassing.

If you were as good at your job as Simone Biles is at gymnastics, people wouldn't be at all fazed by your taking a day when you need to either.

But you're not.

— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) July 27, 2021

Simone Biles won nationals w/broken toes in both feet, worlds w/a kidney stone, and has carried the burden of being a face of sexual assault survivors as a national institution failed to support them

Half of y'all yelling about "toughness" can't handle wearing a mask in Wegman's

— Kavitha A. Davidson (@kavithadavidson) July 27, 2021

Biles underscored her greatness at this year’s US Classic by becoming the first woman ever to pull off a Yurchenko double pike — a complex, gravity-defying vault that no other woman has attempted in competition.

Unfortunately for Biles, the judges weren’t as enamoured with her vault as everyone else, as they gave it a provisional scoring value of just 6.6. There have been suggestions the low score was delivered because the International Gymnastics Federation wants to protect athletes’ safety by discouraging them from attempting a move as difficult as what Biles pulled off.

The pressure was on Biles to follow-up her stunning performance at the US Classic however the Olympics clearly took their toll.

“Physically I feel good, I’m in shape,” she told American broadcaster NBC after pulling out of the final.

“Emotionally ... that kind of varies on the time and the moment.

“Coming here to the Olympics and being the head star of the Olympics is not an easy feat so we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and we’ll see.”

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics: Piers Morgan attacks Simone Biles decision to quit gymnastics final