After the four-time Olympic gold medalist withdrew from the Tokyo Olympic gymnastics team finals, former US team gymnast Ali Lesman is expressing support for former teammate Simone Byers.
“I think Simeone is the biggest story in this field Olympic Games, So it’s just—it’s really, really devastating,” Raisman said in an interview today“But I think it’s also very important to think about how much pressure she is under, and there is only so much pressure a person can withstand. She is a human, and I think sometimes people forget this. And Simeone is just like other people. People are the same, doing everything she can.”
Byers is the most honored American gymnast in history. He withdrew from the women’s gymnastics team finals on Tuesday, paved the way for the Russian Olympic Committee to regain the gold medal.
The 24-year-old faltered and dropped out of school when he opened the vault. The American Gymnastics Association stated that she withdrew from the competition “due to medical problems.”
“She will be evaluated daily to determine the health certificate for future competitions,” the national sports management agency said in a statement.
Alex Livesey/Stringer
Byers is under tremendous pressure to help the United States dominate the gymnastics in Tokyo. Earlier this week, she said that she felt the “weight of the world” while participating in the second Olympic Games.
In 2016, Byers made history in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first American female gymnast to win four gold medals in the Olympics.
Lesman was the captain of the gymnastics team that Byers participated in in 2016. She said that her former teammate was facing “more pressure than any other gymnast I have ever seen in my life.”
“This is terrible,” Reisman said. “I know all these athletes have dreamed of this moment all their lives, so I was completely destroyed. I was obviously worried, but I just hope Simone is okay.”
“I’m also considering the psychological impact of this on Simone,” she continued. “The pressure is too much. In the months before the Olympics, I have been observing how much pressure she has endured. It is simply devastating. I feel terrible.”
To the great disappointment of the United States, Russia won the gold medal in the dramatic finals, ending more than a decade of American dominance in the event. The American team won the silver medal and the British team won the bronze medal.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
