Simone Biles made her highly anticipated return to the Olympics at the Paris Gymnastics Games on Sunday, July 28. She delivered a flawless balance beam routine, scoring an impressive 14.733—the highest score on the apparatus. It helped the U.S. gymnasts secure the lead in women’s qualifying.
After the competition, her coach, Cecile Landi, revealed that Biles had been experiencing calf pain in the weeks leading up to Paris. “She felt a little something in her calf. But yeah, that’s all,” Landi told reporters.
Despite appearing to struggle with pain and walking with a noticeable limp, Biles showcased her incredible talent, twisting through the air with her trademark power. She achieved remarkable scores of 15.800 on the vault, 14.433 on the uneven bars, and 14.600 on the floor.
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Overall, she achieved an all-around score of 59.566, the highest total recorded so far. She has been placed three points ahead of her teammate Suni Lee. Following Biles’ impressive performance, the US secured the top qualifying spot, with Italy in second place. Other countries like China, Brazil, Japan, Canada, Britain, and Romania also secured their places in Tuesday’s final.
When reporters asked if she was okay after Sunday’s competition, Biles responded, “Yup! As good as I can be.” She chose not to stay for further comments, but Landi assured that there are currently no concerns regarding her ability to compete throughout the Olympics.
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The Paris Games mark Simone Biles’ third return to the Olympics following her experience in Tokyo. During the Tokyo Games, Biles withdrew from the team final due to experiencing the “twisties,” a term that refers to a temporary loss of spatial awareness while performing.
She also opted out of the all-around and several apparatus finals, leading to speculation about whether the most decorated gymnast would compete in Paris.
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