Piers Morgan tore into gymnast Simone Biles for quitting in a Wednesday column for the Daily Mail saying it was “nothing heroic or brave.”
The former “Good Morning Britain” host said the Olympian “left her team to fight on without their leader and supreme motivational champion.”
Biles pulled out of the Olympics team final competition Tuesday, saying, “physically, I feel good, I’m in shape. Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment.”
*NEW COLUMN*
Sorry Simone Biles, but there’s nothing heroic or brave about quitting because you’re not having ‘fun’ – you let down your team-mates, your fans and your country.https://t.co/gxNC7kOMN2 pic.twitter.com/eIlZsqqRHo— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 28, 2021
Team USA received the silver medal in the women’s gymnastics, and the Russian Olympic Committee received the gold. (RELATED: Simone Biles Withdraws From The Final Individual All-Around Competition To Focus On Her Mental Health)
Morgan blasted the four-time Olympic gold medalist for her decision saying, “You’re not just at these Games for yourself, Simone. You are part of Team USA, representing the United States of America, and hundreds of millions of American people watching back home, not to mention all the sponsors who’ve paid huge sums to support you. And when you quit, you were performing as part of a gymnastics team, not yourself.”
“The Olympics are the pinnacle of sport – the ultimate test of any athlete. They’re supposed to be very hard and very tough, physically, mentally, and any other way you care to name,” Morgan concluded.
Biles defended her decision at a press conference saying, “I don’t trust myself as much anymore. Maybe it’s getting older. There were a couple of days when everybody tweets you, and you feel the weight of the world. We’re not just athletes, we’re people at the end of the day, and sometimes you just have to step back.”