The woman who is widely regarded as being the greatest gymnast of all time has withdrawn from competing in the Tokyo Olympics after suffering an apparent leg injury on Tuesday, according to reports. But the official statement from USA Gymnastics suggested there still could be a chance for Simone Biles to return to the Olympic competition in Japan.

Reports about Biles’ injury and then subsequent decision to sit out the rest of the 2021 Olympic Summer Games began circulating on social media early Tuesday morning before news outlets confirmed the bad news for Team USA, which was going for its third straight gold medal in the Olympics.

Biles injured herself while competing in the vault. Photos show the 24-year-old landed awkwardly before leaving the floor with a team doctor.

ESPN reported: “Biles returned several minutes later with her right leg wrapped. She took off her bar grips, and hugged teammates Grace McCallum, Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles before putting on a jacket and sweatpants.”

The unverified Inside Olympics Twitter account, which boasts more than 65,000 followers, tweeted without proof that Biles withdrew from the Olympics for non-injury reasons.

NBC reports that Simone Biles withdrawal is not due to injury but another issue. We will report more details as we have them. Whatever the case, everyone should respect the situation and let her have her space.

— Inside Gymnastics (@InsideGym) July 27, 2021

However, USA Gymnastics said in a statement that Biles “will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.” And NBC, which was cited by Inside Gymnastics, only reported that Biles was out for the team final and did not entirely rule her out for the remainder of the Olympics.

Official statement: “Simone Biles has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue. She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.”

Thinking of you, Simone! pic.twitter.com/QA1GYHwWTv

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 27, 2021

That leaves the door open for a Willis Reed-style triumphant return that, in theory, would result in leading her team to yet another gold medal.

A schedule of the Olympics shows that the gymnastics competitions will run through Aug. 7.

The extent of Biles’ injury was not immediately clear. But a recent interview with the New York Times underscored the physical toll that gymnastics take on athletes like Biles, who described the pain she feels as “unreal.” Biles described the happiest moment of her career as “probably my time off.”

Biles became the winningest and most decorated gymnast of all time when she won the 2019 World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. She also took home four gold medals in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.

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