On her first day of struggle at the 2024 Olympic Games, the gymnast Simone Biles appeared to hurt her leg during a warm-up routine. An injury that caused concerns but eventually did not keep her from completing her procedures and finishing in first place.
After the competition, Biles’s coach, Cecile Landi, downplayed the significance of the injury. “She felt a little something in her calf,” Landi said.
Despite the injury, Biles posted high scores, counting a competition-high 15.8 on the vault. Joined by strong presentations from her co-players. It was enough to secure a spot for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in the team all-around final on Tuesday, in which the U.S. is a beloved to win gold.
There are presently no concerns “at the moment” about Biles’s ability to compete in those events, Landi said.
Simone Biles Overcomes Injury to Secure First Place and Lead U.S. Gymnastics Team to Final:
Biles appeared to hurt her leg during a warm-up for the floor exercise, her second device of the night. After landing a pass.
Biles walked gingerly off the mat where she checked with her coaches then disappeared briefly from the floor. Afterward, she returned to have her ankle and lower calf enveloped with thick athletic tape.
Despite the injury, Biles went on to complete her remaining routines, scoring a high of 15.8 on the vault. “Never in her mind” was there a question of whether she would continue, Landi said.
Hopes for Biles and the rest of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team are sky-high at this Olympic Games in Paris.
Biles, 27, has been performing at the highest level of her career since she reverted to competition last year after a two-year hiatus. She is expected to win at least three specific gold medals and a team all-around gold for the U.S.
An injury could set those ambitions back. “First and foremost, I just want to make sure she’s physically okay, and then we’re just going to go from there,” said women’s team mechanical lead Chellsie Memmel. “What she was able to do, with viewing like she had some soreness or something in her lower leg, is remarkable.”
Biles had briefly skilled an issue with her calf earlier this month, Landi revealed. “After that, it stopped. Then a little bit again today,” Landi said. “Just a little pain in her calf.”
