Simone Biles and the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team will compete in the team final of the 2024 Paris Olympics today. Biles and her teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera are the gold medal favorites, and they dominated the preliminaries, proving once again how far they stand over their competitors. Biles injured her calf in the preliminaries, but still dominated the sessions and will compete in all four events in the team final.
Tune in to USA TODAY Sports for live results, scores and highlights throughout the day.
When will Simone Biles compete in the Olympics?
Simone Biles and the U.S. women's gymnastics team will compete in the Olympic team final today.
What time is Simone Biles performing today?
Biles and her teammates will begin the team final at 12:15 pm ET, broadcast by NBC and livestreamed by Peacock.
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Simone Biles' injury status
One of Biles' coaches, Cecil Lundy, said Biles had hurt her calf during a qualifying session on Sunday and had her ankle taped, but that she was not worried about competing in Paris. “She looked better at the end of it,” Lundy said.
Randy also said there was no discussion about Biles not continuing to compete on Sunday. “She's not thinking about that,” Randy said. Randy also said there was no discussion about Biles only doing one vault or toning down any planned moves. Afterward, when asked what Biles did to her foot, Randy said, “I had a little bit of pain in my calf. I felt a little bit of pain on the floor. So I taped it up (tightened it up).” Biles finished qualifying with her left ankle still taped. Here's everything we know about Simone Biles' injury and calf sprain.
Simone Biles-Yurchenko's double pike: What you need to know
The Biles II, also known as the Yurchenko Double Pike, is one of five skills named after Simone Biles. Vaults are divided into “families” based on the entry. In the Yurchenko vault, the skater rounds off the takeoff board and performs a back handspring onto a table. Biles then performs a double somersault in pike position.
Very few men attempt this vault, which is extremely difficult due to the lack of strength needed to flip twice and the lack of an escape mechanism — if something goes wrong, you're more likely to land on your head or neck than on your knees.
Biles started the vault in 2021 but has not performed it at a world championship or Olympic Games until the 2023 world championships. With a difficulty rating of 6.4, it is the most difficult vault in the women's event.
Last year, Biles was penalized a half-point for having her coach, Laurent Lundy, stand on the mat when she landed, ready to step in and guide her to safety if he thought she was about to land unsafely, but neither Biles nor Lundy feel the need for him to do that anymore.
The most difficult vault typically performed by other gymnasts is rated at 5.6 points, 0.8 points lower than Biles II, so landing this vault would give Biles a significant scoring advantage.
Simone Biles' moves are named after her: What you need to know
Simone Biles has left her mark on the world of gymnastics. In addition to winning a record number of World Championship and Olympic medals, more than any other gymnast, male or female, Biles has five moves named after her. Moves are named after the athlete who first performed them at a major international competition, such as the World Championships or Olympics. She has two moves on the vault, two on the floor exercise, and one on the balance beam. Here are some of Simone Biles' moves named after her: — Nancy Armour
Nelly Biles reacts to Simone Biles' calf injury
Nelly Biles is happy to see the joy back on her daughter's face at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she told USA Today Sports on Monday that her heart nearly stopped when Simone Biles left Sunday's qualifying session with a calf injury.
“Well, I was concerned about that,” Nellie Biles said on NBC's Today show. “Then I saw her going to do the Yurchenko, and I was like, 'Really?' And I gave her a thumbs up to make sure she was OK, and she nodded, and I said, 'OK,' and she dove in and she threw it, and it was amazing. It was amazing. And I was like, 'Okay, so I think I'm OK.'”
Biles' mother and brother, Ron Jr., said Monday they are excited to see her healthy and happy ahead of the Paris Olympics.
“I just want to see her happy and successful. We as a family have no expectations,” said Ron Biles Jr. “We're not trying to push her into anything, but we want her to feel comfortable, confident and fulfilled when it's all finished and done. We really want to see her reach her potential. She's worked so hard and been through so much to get back, and just seeing her in Paris makes me so happy.”
“As a mom, I'm so proud to see my daughter having fun,” Nellie Biles said. “Every time I watch her play, I see the difference. It all depends on her mental state. I know she's in such good shape right now and she's having fun. It's so good to see that. It makes me so happy.”
Olympic Gymnastics Schedule
The full gymnastics schedule for the Paris Olympics is here.
- The women's team final will begin at 12:15pm ET on Tuesday, July 30th.
- The women's individual all-around final will take place on Thursday, August 1 at 12:15 pm ET.
- The women's vault final will take place on Saturday, August 3 at 10:20 a.m. ET.
- The women's uneven bars final will take place on Sunday, August 4 at 9:40 a.m. ET.
- The women's balance beam final (6:36 a.m. ET) and floor exercise final (8:20 a.m.) will take place on Monday, Aug. 5.
How to watch gymnastics at the Paris Olympics
NBC will broadcast the team finals live, while Peacock will live stream the team finals.
How is Olympic gymnastics judged?
Gymnastics routines are scored two ways: difficulty (also known as the D-score or opening value), and execution. Every gymnastic routine has a numerical value, and the D-score is the sum of the skills in the routine. The execution score (E-score) reflects how well the skills were performed. A gymnast starts at 10.0, and from there points are deducted for flaws or incorrect form. The D-score and E-score are added together to get the total for that apparatus (vault is always scored higher because it is a single skill).
Who is Simone Biles' Husband?
Simone Biles is married to Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens.
He's built his career on his own terms: An undrafted free agent out of Missouri Western, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in April 2018. Less than a month later, he tore his ACL and spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve.
Owens was waived by the Cardinals at the end of training camp in 2019 and signed by the Houston Texans on September 30, 2019. Owens spent the majority of that season on the practice squad, but made his NFL debut on November 21, 2019 against Indianapolis.
Owens bounced between the Texans' practice squad and active roster over the next two seasons, appearing in 13 games with two starts. He had a breakout season in 2022, starting all 17 games for the Texans and ranking second on the team with 125 tackles and one sack.
“I'm a big believer that adversity builds character and shapes who you are. I'm a guy who got drafted five times. If I'd been drafted in the first round, I wouldn't be where I am today,” Owens said. “So many things didn't go my way and I started to realize I was stressing out over things I didn't do right. Attitude and effort, those are the things you can control. The results will come.”
Owens signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in May 2023, days after returning from his and Biles' wedding in Mexico. He spent one season there, playing in all 17 games and starting 11. He recorded 74 tackles, as well as a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery touchdown.
He signed a two-year contract with the Bears in March.
“I'm a little bit more of a free spirit (now). I think Jonathan helped me, his career with all the uncertainty helped me. I just tried not to control all the things that I can't control anymore,” Biles said.
Is Simone Biles' husband in Paris?
Here we are! Jonathan Owens arrived in Paris on Tuesday morning, just hours before the team final. On Monday night, he posted a photo of himself on a plane to his Instagram Story with the caption, “I'm coming for you, baby.” About 10 hours later, another photo of the city was posted with the location tag, “Paris, France.”
The Birds have given Owens time off from July 29 to Aug. 3, which includes their first preseason game against Owens' former team, the Houston Texans, on Aug. 1. That means Owens will be able to watch Biles compete in the individual all-around final on Thursday, Aug. 1, in addition to the team final.
Owens said he asked for time off when he was negotiating his contract with the Bears in the spring. It wasn't difficult. This is Owens' first season with the Bears but his seventh in the NFL, and many teams rest veteran players for some or all of their preseason games. The team records all of Owens' meetings and sends him defensive instructions so he can keep up while he's away.
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