Former Team USA Gymnast Aly Raisman Reacts to Simone Biles Withdrawing from the Olympics

Aly Raisman is reacting to her former teammate Simone Biles pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics.

In case you missed it, the 24-year-old athlete announced on Tuesday morning (July 27) that she would be withdrawing from the Olympics.

She later explained that she was physically feeling “good”, but needs to focus on her mental health.

Former Team USA Gymnast Aly Raisman, who competed with Simone in the 2016 Rio Games, said she feels “sick to her stomach” about the Olympian’s exit in an interview with Today.

Click inside to read what she said…

“It’s horrible,” Aly told the outlet. “I know that all of these athletes dream of this moment for their whole entire lives, and so I’m just completely devastated. I am obviously so worried and just hoping that Simone is OK.”

“I also am just thinking about the mental impact that this has to have on Simone,” she continued. “It’s just so much pressure, and I’ve been watching how much pressure has been on her in the months leading up to the Games, and it’s just devastating. I feel horrible.”

Aly added that she was “praying” that Simone would be able to complete in the individual all-around final later this week.

“I think that Simone is the biggest story going into the Olympics, so this is just — it’s really, really devastating,” the gymnast said. “But I think it’s also just really important to think about how much pressure has been on her, and there’s only so much that someone can take. She’s human, and I think sometimes people forget that. And Simone, just like everyone else, is doing the best that she can.”

She also said that with Simone performing such difficult routines, mistakes are bound to happen.

“I don’t know if she got lost in the air, or I don’t know if she got injured before and wasn’t able to complete the twist. I’m sure whenever she’s ready, she’ll tell us,” she explained. “But if she did get lost in the air, I do want to say that that is actually very common.”

“Sometimes if you’re trying to do three twists on floor, sometimes you might just breathe the wrong way, or when you’re taking off, the lights from the ceiling get into your eye and you just get confused,” Aly said. “I think people forget when we’re doing gymnastics, the stuff we’re doing is so difficult, and I know someone like Simone makes it look so easy, but I think people forget sometimes we’re human and sometimes we get confused.”

Check out all the celebrities who have voiced their support for Simone after her exit…

from Just Jared https://ift.tt/3x8APiv