Simone Biles didn’t let some leg discomfort slow her down.
The American gymnastics star scored an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic qualifying on Sunday at the busy and high-profile Bercy Arena, even though she was limping from a left calf injury.
U.S. gymnastics coach Cecile Landi mentioned that the issue started a couple of weeks ago and described it as minor. Landi said there was no talk about removing Biles from the event.
“I can’t express it,” she 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.”
After impressing on the balance beam, Biles seemed to hurt her leg while warming up for the floor exercise during the second rotation. She left the floor with Team USA doctor Marcia Faustin, which reminded people of three years ago in Tokyo when Biles stepped away from the team final for her safety.
But this wasn’t a repeat of that situation.
The 27-year-old returned to the floor a few minutes later with her left leg taped and mentioned on camera that she felt something in her calf.
Despite this, she delivered an outstanding performance.
Biles had the highest scores on floor and vault through two subdivisions, and she’s expected to be in a top position at the end of the day as she aims to add to her career total of seven Olympic medals.
The only change she made was deciding not to try a unique skill on the uneven bars that she had submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation on Friday.
Instead, she performed her usual routine and scored 14.333. She tried to avoid putting too much weight on her leg after her dismount.
After completing her routine, Biles celebrated by waving to the crowd and dancing with her friend and longtime teammate Jordan Chiles, as the five-woman U.S. team moved to the top of the leaderboard as expected.
