Simone Biles said she wasn’t in the right “headspace” to compete and withdrew from the gymnastics team final to protect herself. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

By Demetrius Dillard
Special to the AFRO

Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles left the team final due to a medical issue, according to USA Gymnastics, on July 27.

The U.S. team is now shorthanded with the absence of its most prolific gymnast, who’s also widely considered the greatest ever in the sport. Biles exited the competition with a team doctor shortly after a shaky landing off of a vault.

“Simone has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue,” USA Gymnastics confirmed. “She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.”

After Biles withdrew, Team USA lost out on a third straight Olympic gold, falling to the Russian Olympic Committee by a team score of 169.528 (ROC) to 166.096 (U.S.). It is still unclear whether the 24-year-old will be available for the all-around final on Thursday.

Lydia Jacoby, a 17-year-old from Alaska, has become the first U.S. female swimmer to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics after a dominant performance in the 100-meter breaststroke event, finishing with a time of one minute, 4.95 seconds.

The USA women’s basketball team won their 50th consecutive game with an 81-72 win over Nigeria. Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson led the United States with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and center Brittney Griner chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Veteran guard Sue Bird recorded 13 assists to help the U.S. notch the comeback win as the team began their quest for a seventh consecutive gold medal under new coach Dawn Staley.

Team USA will face Japan, the host nation, on Friday in its second Group B game.

In swimming, the United States men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay team claimed gold with relative ease after Caeleb Dressel’s opening leg of 47.26 put the Americans in superb position and Zach Apple’s anchor leg time of 46.69 sealed the deal.

After a brilliant run to a title match against Japan, the U.S. Olympic softball team lost, 2-0, to walk away with a silver medal. Japan pitcher Yukiko Ueno tossed six scoreless innings and held Team USA to only two hits on five strikeouts. While the U.S. played stellar defense, it allowed a run in the fourth and fifth innings.

Medal count: The U.S. leads the way with 25 medals total (nine gold, eight silver and eight bronze), China is No. 2 with 21 (nine gold, five silver and seven bronze), while Japan and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) are tied for third place with 18 medals apiece.

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