Simone Biles made a triumphant return to Olympic competition on Sunday, overcoming a left calf injury to start her multiple-medal campaign on a high note. The American superstar, who won four gold medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics, tweaked her left calf while warming up for her floor exercise but continued to deliver stellar performances.
Biles executed her signature Yurchenko double pike vault, known as the Biles II, scoring 15.800 points despite a big step back on landing. Her second vault also saw a step back, but she remained in high spirits, crawling back to her teammates on her hands and knees while laughing.
She concluded her day by flawlessly landing her uneven bars routine, sharing a celebratory dance with teammate Jordan Chiles to the crowd's delight. With two of the five qualifying sessions complete, Biles led the all-around standings with 59.566 points.
Teammate Suni Lee, the Tokyo Olympics all-around champion, followed in second place, signaling a strong start for the US team as they aim to reclaim team gold after winning silver in Japan. The USA secured a spot in the team finals with a score of 172.296 points, with Italy, China, and Britain following.
Brazil and France, both strong medal contenders, were scheduled to compete later. Brazil, led by Tokyo vault gold medallist Rebeca Andrade, aims to challenge the USA after winning world championship silver last year. Andrade hinted at attempting a groundbreaking Yurchenko triple twist vault in Paris.
France's team, led by Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos and three-time Olympian Marine Boyer, is one of their strongest ever. However, Biles remains the benchmark, with British gymnast Ruby Evans calling her "out of this world."
Biles led the vault and floor exercise standings and was second in balance beam behind China’s Zhou Yaqin. However, her eighth-place finish in uneven bars could cost her a spot in that event's final.
Despite her struggles with the "twisties" that led to her withdrawal from multiple events in Tokyo, Biles still took home a silver and bronze and was praised for her openness about mental health challenges.
