Team USA gymnast Simone Biles suffered a lower left leg injury while warming up for a floor exercise during Team USA’s second rotation on Sunday.
Biles could be heard saying that pushing hurts and at one point she left the arena floor but continued in the competition with a heavily taped shin. But she clearly struggled. She made a crucial miss on her floor routine, then had to take a big step back to land her signature Yurchenko double pike on vault.
Her coach Cecile Landi told reporters that Biles had been suffering from calf pain for a few weeks before Paris, and that the pain flared up again during Sunday’s competition.
Nevertheless, she exited the qualification round with a large lead in the overall standings.
When asked by reporters after the competition on Sunday if she was OK, Biles said, “Yeah! I’m as good as I can be.” She did not elaborate, and Landy said there were no concerns about her ability to compete at the Olympics.
Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Hazely Rivera are part of the team that won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Biles was forced to withdraw from that competition after suffering from a neurological condition called “the twisties.” The twisties are a mental block that creates a disconnect between the mind and body while the gymnast is in the air.
The top eight teams from qualifying will advance to the team finals on Tuesday. The top 24 individual teams in the all-around will advance to the finals on Thursday.
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