Simone Biles Praised by IOC President Thomas Bach: ‘Olympic Spirit at its Best'

Simone Biles received high praise from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach for the way she has handled herself in Tokyo.

The four-time gold medalist withdrew from the team final, all-around final, vault and uneven bars to focus on her mental health.

"For Simone, I can only say we are with her and we wish her well," Bach said. "And I must personally say I had the opportunity to briefly talk with her after the team competition, that I'm really admiring how she's handling the situation. That on the one hand she admits to have this problem, this is already courageous. Who one year ago would have admitted mental health problems? And at the same time cheering on her teammates and then being there and supporting when her successor is crowned in the all-around final. This is great human quality and this is Olympic spirit at its best."

Biles will be evaluated daily to determine whether she can compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam.

The United States' MyKayla Skinner, who had the fourth-highest score in vault during qualifications, will replace Biles in the vault final.