Days after an injury scare, Simone Biles and her U.S. women’s gymnastics teammates were back on the mat in search of their first medal at the Paris Olympics.
Tuesday is the women’s artistic gymnastics team final at Bercy Arena, featuring Biles and American teammates Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Sunisa Lee. Biles is slated to take part in the uneven bars, vault, balance beam and floor exercise events. Team USA is heavily favored to win Tuesday’s final, after capturing a silver medal in team competition in Tokyo.
Biles, 27, made her highly anticipated return last weekend in the qualifying rounds and dominated, despite a calf injury that caused her to limp. Women’s gymnastics coach Cecille Landi, a former Olympian for France, told reporters after the qualifying session that she had tweaked her calf a few weeks ago and was on the mend.
The coach noted that Biles had no intention to leave the competition, saying, “Never in her mind.”
Team USA finished Sunday’s qualification session with an impressive score of 172.296, putting them at the front of the pack heading into the all-around final.
Biles is in her third Olympics and its her first since experiencing the “twisties,” a phenomenon where gymnasts lose their sense of place in the air, which forced her to drop out of multiple events during the Tokyo Olympics.
In Paris, she could potentially break the record for the most Olympic gold medals earned by an American gymnast. The current record is Anton Heida with five gold medals. Biles has four gold medals. However, she just needs one medal to surpass Shannon Miller to become the most decorated American Olympic gymnast. Miller and Biles both have seven Olympics medals.
