Simone Biles briefly left the floor and said she has discomfort in her left leg but continued her quest to return atop the Olympic podium Sunday.
The 27-year-old American and the five-woman U.S. gymnastics team took the floor at a packed, star-studded Bercy Arena during the second qualifying subdivision for the Paris Games on Sunday. The Americans are heavily favored to win the team gold after finishing runner-up to Russia three years ago in Tokyo.
Biles dazzled during her opening beam routine, then briefly left the floor with USA team doctor Marcia Faustin. She returned a short time later and spent several minutes sitting and watching her teammates.
Biles was heard on camera saying she felt something in her calf but stepped onto the competition floor with the leg taped. She appeared just fine when Taylor Swift’s “Ready for It” began playing and her routine — the hardest in the world — was solid. She walked gingerly off the floor and sat off to the side for a moment before receiving a hug from longtime coach Laurent Landi.
She received a 14.600, assuring her a spot in the event finals next week.
The Americans then moved to vault, the same event where Biles felt something off during the team final in Tokyo three years ago and removed herself from multiple finals to focus on her mental health.
She participated in warmups, shorting the Yurchenko double pike vault that’s become her signature. There were no issues about 10 minutes later when she attempted it for the judges, taking a big step back, a byproduct of the massive momentum she generates when she explodes off the vaulting table.
She scored 15.800 — by far the highest in the world this year — and followed it up landing her Cheng vault with no major problems, though she was noticeably limping as she made her way back to her seat.
The team final is Tuesday, and the women’s all-around final is Thursday.
The stands were buzzing and filled with celebrities. Tom Cruise posed for selfies while waiting for Biles to emerge. Snoop Dogg had front-row seats, and Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend and Anna Wintour were also on hand.
Biles arrived in Paris as the face of the U.S. Olympic movement and maybe the Olympics themselves. The buzz around her return to the Games has been palpable, with NBC leaning heavily into her star power by splashing Biles’ face on countless promotions in the lead-up to Paris.
Her gravitational pull is real. Athletes across the Olympic spectrum have said they want to make it a point to catch the most decorated gymnast of all time in what could be the final competition of her unparalleled career. Among them: LeBron James and the U.S. men’s basketball team, which was busy Sunday with Olympic qualifying.
