Simone Biles fought through a sore calf on Sunday to post a solid all-around score and display the qualities that have made her one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.
After she produced a flawless balance beam routine that scored a 14.733 — the highest on the apparatus — Biles landed badly while warming up for her floor routine and left the arena before getting back up to heavily tap her lower left leg.
She appeared in pain and walked with a heavy limp, but was still able to twist in the air with her usual power on each apparatus, scoring a 15.800 on vault, a 14.433 on uneven bars and a 14.600 on floor.
Overall, she posted an all-around score of 59.566 in her return to the Olympics – more than three points ahead of her teammate Suni Lee.
Asked by reporters if he was OK following Sunday’s match, Biles said sadly, “Yes! I can be as good as I can be. ”
Coach’s Appreciation: USA Gymnastics technical coach Chelsea Memmel told reporters she was impressed with the star’s poor performance:
Coping with suffering: In a new Netflix documentary, “Simone Biles Rising,” the gymnastics champion reflects on her previous Olympics as she prepares for the Paris Games.
Biles made a surprise decision to pull out of competition at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after becoming distracted and experiencing “twists” in her routines.
In Episode 1 of the four-part documentary, filmed as the event unfolds and follows her to the Paris Games, Biles describes what she feels.
“I lost my skills,” she says in a selfie video at the time. “I don’t understand how. I’m so prepared that I don’t know if I’m overthinking it. It’s getting dangerous because I’ve lost all my ground skills.
Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, said she struggled with the intense public scrutiny she faced to prioritize her mental and physical health.
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