Simone Biles demonstrated her trademark excellence during Sunday’s gymnastics qualifying sessions at the Paris Olympics, even though a left calf injury presented a bit of a snag.
Biles posted a score of 59.566 to lead the all-around standings.
It was an impressive feat made even more admirable considering Biles, following a spectacular opening balance-beam routine, left the floor with a Team USA doctor when she tweaked her calf during her floor exercise warm-up.
Biles, 27, returned with her ankle wrapped and delivered the day’s best floor score of 14.600.
On the vault, Biles managed to record the highest score in the world this year (15.800). She led the Americans with a 14.733 score on the balance beam and posted a 14.433 on the uneven bars.
She managed those lofty scores despite visibly limping throughout the morning. The calf injury first cropped up as she trained a few weeks ago, her coach Cecile Landi said Sunday, and was not expected to affect Biles’ availability this week.
“She felt a little something in her calf,” Landi said. “That’s all.”
All eyes remain on Biles as she attempts to come back three years after withdrawing from five events at the Tokyo Games due to “the twisties,” a mental condition that left her mind and body out of sync.
“I can’t express it,” Landi said. “I’m really proud of her and what she’s been through and what she’s showing the world what she’s capable of doing.”
Widely considered the greatest gymnast ever, Biles boasts seven Olympic medals, including four golds that she won at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Her first event at these Olympics is scheduled to take place Tuesday with the team all-around final, which the U.S. booked its ticket to on Sunday with the best combined score of 172.296.
Biles will compete in the team final with Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, and Hezly Rivera.
In 2021, the team final was the first event Biles withdrew from, doing so after the first rotation. The U.S. ultimately finished second in the event in Tokyo behind the Russian Olympic Committee.
On Thursday, Biles is set to compete in the individual all-around, an event she won in 2016 but withdrew from in Tokyo. Lee, who won gold in the all-around three years ago, will also represent Team USA on Thursday after finishing second with a score of 56.132 during qualifying.
Chiles finished third in the individual all-around on Sunday with a 56.065 mark but will not compete Thursday because countries are limited to only two participants.
The U.S. has won the gold in the individual all-around at the last five Olympics.
Thanks to Biles and Lee qualifying, Thursday is set to mark the first time in Olympic history that two gold medalists in the individual all-around will compete against each other in the event.
