Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) publicly applauded U.S. gymnast Simone Biles after she withdrew from the U.S. women’s Olympic team final on Tuesday.
“I love and admire Simone Biles and our Olympians,” Romney tweeted. “Beyond their determination and sacrifice, they evidence the greatness of the human spirit, in victory and in defeat.”
He added, “I take pride in them, not so much for the medals they win as for the grace, humanity & character of their hearts.”
Romney’s message of support for the gymnast, widely considered the greatest of all time, comes after USA Gymnastics tweeted that Biles would be removing herself from the competition “due to a medical issue.”
Biles has several moves named after her for floor, balance beam and vault exercises.
Biles later said her ailment was related to her mental health and that she’s been “fighting all of those demons,” according to The New York Times.
The athlete stated Tuesday that she did not want to risk hurting herself physically during competition if her mental health was not up to par.
“Today it’s like, you know what, no, I don’t want to do something stupid and get hurt,” she said, the Times reported. “And it’s just not worth it, especially when you have three amazing athletes that can step up to the plate and do it. Not worth it.”
“At the end of the day, I have to do what was right for me,” Biles added. “It just sucks that it happened at the Olympic Games.”
The decorated gymnast said that when it comes to competing again during this Olympics, she will take it “one day at a time,” noting that she will have a day for mental rest.