Simone Biles, after having a packed house scare, is having a ‘surprising’ day

But during her first competitive match in Paris, a qualifier here on Sunday, Biles’ body threatened to hold her back again.

This time, it was a physical illness, rather than the fatal mental breakdown that plagued Biles amid the pressures of previous Olympics. But it still felt like déjà vu, with Biles next to the team doctor as questions rose about whether the sport’s biggest star would be able to continue.

During the warm-up, Biles felt a slight pain in her left calf, a recurrence of the problem from several weeks ago, her trainer, Cecile Landi, said afterward. Wrapping her lower leg in tape was enough to help Biles through. But while he was warming up his rooms soon after, at one point he crawled along the runway and jumped on one foot. After that Yurchenko made his pike difficult and came up short, a rare mistake for Biles – and sometimes a painful mistake.

The awkwardness was short-lived, evident in an arena packed with thousands of fans and several A-listers, including Tom Cruise, Ariana Grande and Jessica Chastain. But Landi said finishing Sunday’s tournament was not in doubt for Biles, who did not speak to reporters afterward.

Counting, Biles sprinted down the runway and ascended to the top of the loft, flying twice into the pike. It’s the toughest gym for women, but Biles makes it look easy — even in the midst of a fear of injury. When he went to the bars, he “started to feel better,” Landi said. Biles achieved another performance to score a total of 59.566, her second-highest mark since Tokyo.

Biles’ performance was “pretty amazing,” Landi said, adding that she has no concerns about Biles continuing to compete.

Despite her injuries and mistakes, Biles has managed to lead the US women’s league as a consistent force. She went off the floor, right after the calf pain hit, and ended up having more power on the vault, even though she didn’t rotate enough in the warmups, so he took two big steps back.

Other Americans had some nervous moments: All of the gymnasts who paired Biles on the balance beam wobbled, especially 16-year-old Hezly Rivera in her first competition. The Olympics. And Jade Carey, who said on social media that she is in good health, came out of her final match falling down, leading to low points that will prevent her from defending her award of Olympic gold equipment.

Despite the setbacks, the US team’s mark of 172.296 was more than enough to lead the field with three times to go. The Americans will be strong contenders to win the team gold Tuesday, largely because of the absence of Russia, a long-time power in gymnastics, whose athletes are banned from the team competition. here. The Russian Olympic Committee athletes won gold ahead of the Americans in Tokyo after Biles’ withdrawal led to team chaos.

In the qualifier, Sunisa Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, beat Jordan Chiles by less than one-tenth of a point to secure the final spot. Although Chiles’s 56.065 is the third best mark so far, countries cannot have more than two gymnasts in the final, and Lee (56.132) has succeeded a little.

Biles, who is widely expected to win gold, will be the headliner every time she competes. But Landi said having three other Olympians on the team eases the pressure on Biles.

And together, the gymnasts described these Olympics as their “redemption journey”. The four returning starters – Biles, Lee, Carey and Chiles – have something to achieve that they didn’t get the last three years, no one more than Biles. The injury, no matter how minor, only adds to the curiosity of how well Biles will manage this huge area.

However, on her first attempt, Biles excelled. She posted the best scores of the day so far on vault and floor, as well as a second-best mark. After he finished his final routine, he waved to the crowd and danced with Chiles to celebrate. The calf issue added uncertainty to Biles’ pursuit of the Olympics, which could end with as many as five gold medals, but her strong performance amid adversity has been consistent throughout her travels. from Tokyo. In turn, Biles’ good manners allayed the concern.