Team USA's Simone Biles Impresses in Qualifying Round Despite Injury
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Published 2024-07-28
Though Biles appeared to hobble slightly, she led Team USA to a commanding performance, finishing first with a total of 172.296 points. This impressive score put the Americans five points ahead of Italy as they head into the team finals on Tuesday.
Biles and her teammates delivered standout performances, with five scores of 14.5 or higher. Biles herself scored a remarkable 15.8 on vault and achieved a 14.6 on floor exercise, despite missing her usual stag leap due to the injury. Her floor exercise score was the highest of the event, and she added a 14.33 on bars to her tally.
Team USA’s success was further bolstered by Biles' performance, as she heads into the individual all-around finals as the favorite. Cecile Landi, one of Biles' personal coaches, reassured reporters that there are no significant concerns about Biles continuing her competition in Paris. Landi noted that Biles’ left calf was slightly sore but felt better by the end of the session.
The minor injury occurred when Biles landed the Biles I, a challenging double layout with a half-twist, during warmups. She briefly left the mat with team doctor Dr. Marcia Faustin but returned with her ankle taped, showing no visible signs of pain during her routines.
Technical lead for the U.S. women's team, Chellsie Memmel, expressed admiration for Biles' performance, calling it "incredible" and a testament to her excellence both as a gymnast and a person. Memmel and Landi were impressed by Biles' ability to perform so well despite the discomfort.
As the most decorated gymnast of all time with 37 world and Olympic medals, Simone Biles is poised to make history once again, aiming to become only the third woman to win a second Olympic all-around individual title when the finals take place on Thursday.