Gymnastics legend Simone Biles suffered an injury in Paris in her first Olympic appearance since making her turns debut in Tokyo
Simone Biles made a near-perfect return to Olympic competition on Sunday despite suffering an injury during the qualifying competition.
The 27-year-old, who made her return to applause, appeared to have injured herself while warming up for the floor exercise. She was examined by medical staff and had to wear a bandage around her left leg and ankle. For a brief moment, there was some question as to whether she would be able to perform her routine.
She then appeared to stretch her calves by running up and down, but then she performed a floor exercise of incredible complexity, scoring an impressive 14.6. Biles still looked energized after leaving the floor. She sat on the step leading down from the performance area, rather than joining her teammates.
The tension as she prepared for practice led to a disastrous conclusion to teammate Jade Carey’s routine on the arena floor.
Carey lost her balance and fell. Biles took a step back on her first tumbling pass — one of her signature moves — and took a step forward on her second. But despite the 0.1 point deduction for taking a step back, it was a hugely impressive comeback on Olympic soil.
American Simone Biles made her first appearance at this summer’s Paris Olympics on Sunday.
Biles was examined by a doctor after appearing to suffer a calf injury at Bercy Arena
The four-time Olympic champion was also seen with duct tape around her left ankle
Biles performed an incredibly complex floor exercise and was rewarded with a score of 14.6
She then performed the jump – the exercise that prompted her to withdraw from Tokyo.
Biles was then re-examined by doctors before performing the vault – the exercise that led to her withdrawal from competition in Tokyo – and she sat on the floor, appearing to stretch her calf again, before the competition.
Biles has previously injured her calf and could be heard saying on television: “As soon as I took off, I felt it. It’s right there on my calf. Right where I had that fucking tear.”
More soon.
