Simone Biles handles pain, brilliantly leads U.S. in Olympic qualifying

Simone Biles, 27, briefly left the floor due to discomfort in her left leg but continued her quest for Olympic gold, scoring more than three points ahead of U.S. teammate Suni Lee through two subdivisions of qualifying.

During her opening beam routine, Biles dazzled but then left with USA team doctor Marcia Faustin. She returned shortly after, spending several minutes watching her teammates. U.S. gymnastics coach Cecile Landi said the issue had arisen a couple of weeks prior and was minor. There was no consideration of pulling Biles from the event. Landi expressed immense pride in Biles, highlighting her resilience and capabilities.

Biles, who mentioned feeling something in her calf, competed with her leg taped. She performed solidly to Taylor Swift’s “Ready for It,” despite walking gingerly off the floor afterward and receiving a hug from longtime coach Laurent Landi. Both Cecile and Laurent Landi encouraged Biles to persevere, with Laurent applying heavy tape to her leg. Biles scored 14.600 on floor, the highest of the day, securing her a spot in the event finals next week.

On vault, the event that had troubled her in Tokyo three years ago, Biles scored 15.800 with her Yurchenko double pike vault, the highest in the world this year. She also successfully executed her Cheng vault, despite limping afterward.

Biles excelled on the balance beam with a score of 14.733, the best among the Americans. On uneven bars, she scored 14.433, her lowest of the day, but her total score of 59.566 kept her in the lead. Landi noted Biles’ performance was impressive but left room for improvement.

Biles chose to skip a unique skill on uneven bars that she had submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation, opting instead for her usual routine to avoid straining her leg. Suni Lee will join Biles in the all-around final with a score of 56.132, narrowly edging out teammate Jordan Chiles. Only two gymnasts per country can compete in the all-around final.

The team final is scheduled for Tuesday, and the women’s all-around final is on Thursday. The U.S. leads qualifying with a score of 172.296, more than five points ahead of Italy. The Americans are favored to win team gold after finishing second to Russia in Tokyo.

Former U.S. Olympic gymnast and team technical lead Chellsie Memmel acknowledged areas for improvement but maintained confidence in the team’s position. Jordan Chiles might make the floor exercise final if she finishes in the top eight. Lee is expected to compete in the beam and bars finals, with Jade Carey likely to join Biles in the vault final.

Biles arrived in Paris as a major figure for the U.S. Olympic team, with NBC heavily promoting her return. Her presence has drawn significant attention, with athletes and celebrities like LeBron James, Tom Cruise, Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend, Anna Wintour, and Shaun White attending to watch her potentially final competition.