Simon Biles out of team event as Russians beat US to gold

TOKYO: Simone Biles' bid for a record six gold medals at the Tokyo Games ended abruptly on Tuesday when she dropped out of the women's team final after one vault and watched as the United States surrendered their title to Russia.

It was a stunning and disappointing start to the Olympics for the US women, who had expected to dominate the final as they had not been beaten in a major team competition since 2011.

But the entire event was turned on its head in an instant when Biles, the world and Olympic all-around champion, completely mistimed her opening vault to earn a low score of 13.766.

It was a setback the US would never recover from as Russia claimed the team title for the first time since the Unified Team at the 1992 Barcelona Games while the US winners in 2012 and 2016 settled for silver and Britain the bronze.

Despite taking a single vault Biles will add a silver medal to the five she won at the Rio 2016 Games, including four golds. But the 24-year-old American's bid to become the greatest female Olympian of all-time with 10 golds is over and perhaps her entire Tokyo Olympics.

USA Gymnastics said the 24-year-old's continued participation in the Games is uncertain.

"Simone has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue," said USA Gymnastics.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

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