Biles didn't stop to talk. Instead, she walked past all the credentialed media, along with her U.S. teammates, Biles more cautiously than the others. Still, she smiled and waved. Most reporters didn't wave, instead keeping their eyes on her legs.
Is she OK? Is there something wrong? Is her pants making so much noise because she's having trouble walking?
Three years ago, it was Biles' heart. Now, the concerns are focused on her calves.
Biles created one of the most unforgettable scenes from the Zombie Olympics in Tokyo when she walked off her first vault with her lips pursed and her eyes red with fear. The image she'll remember most on Sunday was of her crawling. Yes, literally crawling.
“She had a little bit of calf soreness, yeah, that's it,” U.S. coach Cecil Lundy said in response to the first of many questions about Biles' health.
According to Randi, Biles began to feel “a little bit of calf pain” before her floor routine. As the distorted opening chords of Taylor Swift's “Ready For It?” rang out, the energy in the room shifted. Tom Cruise, Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande, and Anna Wintour stared at the floor, as did the other awed fans in the packed arena. The A-listers didn't need to justify this moment: The master was about to begin, and all eyes were on her.
With her foot bandaged, Biles made her first pass, twisting and doubled, soaring to superhuman heights, then stumbled a little and missed the mark. She finished her routine — the announcer told the crowd it was “incredibly difficult,” a reference to the difficulty of the move — but she rested on the top steps and spoke to one of her coaches.
When asked if Biles had ever considered not continuing, Randy said, “I never thought about it. No.”
But as soon as he finished his warm-up vault, a strange sight greeted his eyes: the master couldn't even walk – he crawled on all fours, dragging his body along the Paris 2024 logo, before rising and bounding on his right foot.
Lundy gave the impression there was nothing to see during the medical update, but eventually shut down further questions by telling reporters, “I'm not going to answer any more questions about her calf. If you want to talk about the team as a whole, I'm happy to do that.”
But USA Gymnastics technical lead Chelsea Memmel did not hide her misgivings: “Yes, I did,” she said when asked if she had any doubts about Biles continuing with her final two jumps.
Like Cruz, Snoop, and everyone else in the room, Memmel must have witnessed the trembling moment as the GOAT walked down the runway, crawling like a baby. But Biles kept going.
She waited her turn, sitting silently on the edge of her seat, three spaces between her and the team doctor, while teammate Jade Carey completed two vaults. As Biles rose to her feet, the cameras zoomed in. The scoreboard above revealed the whites of her toenails and the lines on her face that only she knew.
Then, as the other gymnasts began their floor exercises with a dramatic intro to a Fall Out Boy song, Biles sprinted down the runway. No limp, no gait, just powerful strides. She landed a double Yurchenko pike, but had to step back hard to support herself, stabilizing her with what would soon become her most important limb in Paris: her left foot.
Biles nailed her second vault and then closed out the competition with a win on the uneven bars. With a total score of 59.566 points, she was well on her way to the individual all-around final, completing a storybook comeback. In 2021, Biles was unable to find her true self and withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics after losing her sense of direction during a somersault. It turns out that taking care of her mental health took priority over pursuing yet another gold medal.
To the casual sports fan, a torn calf may be more understandable than an emotional wound, especially given the atmosphere three years ago when Biles was accused in some quarters of “withdrawing.” But just like in Tokyo, Biles is “playing through injury.” The warning sirens are the same for Team USA, but now Biles must overcome physical discomfort.
Asked if he was worried, Memmel said, “I am, but I'm going to talk to her.”
“still [a chance] “I want to talk to Simone. I can't answer that because I need to talk to our team, our medical team. First of all, I want to make sure she's OK. Then we can just move on.”
Memmel spoke to reporters minutes after the U.S. gymnasts had walked out in silence. appear In front of the press, all five Americans made a sharp right turn and walked around the other side of the closed off area, heading backstage at the Bercy Arena. Swish, swish, swish..
Biles remained silent, even as the men clapped to get a response. Then the crew disappeared, out of sight. Biles appeared to be limping slightly as she rounded the corner, searching eyes following her lower legs. She walked past them all, into the first moment of uncertainty of the Paris Olympics.
