Simone Biles Says She’s Doing ‘as Good as Can Be’ While Competing With Calf Injury at Olympics

Simone Biles isn’t letting an injured limb get her down amid her comeback astatine nan 2024 Olympics. Although she was noticeably dealing pinch immoderate symptom successful her calf during nan all-around qualifying information connected Sunday, July 28, nan pro jock powered done and delivered awesome routines connected each apparatuses.

After competing connected nan equilibrium beam and slaying pinch a people of 14.733, Simone, 27, “felt a small thing successful her calf” while warming up for her level routine, according to her coach Cecile Landi. She received aesculapian attraction and was seen stepping pinch a limp, but still took nan mat to compete and gain a people of 14.600, arsenic good arsenic a 14.433 connected uneven bars and 15.800 connected vault. Her full people of 59.566 was nan highest connected Team USA, followed by Suni Lee’s 56.132.

Although Simone didn’t instrumentality around agelong aft nan qualifying round, she did respond to 1 newsman who asked if she was OK amid her injury. “Yup! As bully arsenic I tin be,” nan gymnast confirmed.

This is Simone’s 3rd clip representing nan United States successful nan Olympics. After she took location 4 golden medals and 1 bronze badge astatine nan 2016 Games, she returned for nan Olympics successful Tokyo successful 2021. However, she suffered from a gymnastics intelligence artifact called nan “twisties” and withdrew from astir of nan competition, returning only to execute her equilibrium beam routine, which earned her a bronze medal.

Her comeback for nan 2024 Games was documented successful nan Netflix bid Simone Biles: Rising. The Olympian is hungrier than ever and has managed to stay cool, calm and collected amid nan pressure. Despite her injury, she was seen goofing astir pinch her teammates successful betwixt events arsenic she made judge to support her calf loose erstwhile she wasn’t competing. She ended nan all-around qualifiers pinch nan highest people of nan day.

“I didn’t cognize if I was ever going to beryllium capable to compete again,” Simone admitted successful an October 2023 interview. “There was aggregate times this twelvemonth wherever I was successful nan gym and I was like, ‘You cognize what? I’m really terrified of this full-in. Like, I’m not doing it again. I’m ne'er going to do it.’ And past I was like, ‘You cognize what? I’m conscionable going to travel backmost different day, different day.’”

She credited her gymnastics teammates pinch pushing her to support coming back. “I’m like, ‘OK, you’re right. I can’t, like, springiness up now because past I’ll everlastingly beryllium acrophobic of it,’” she admitted.

In summation to Simone and Suni, 21, nan 3 different gymnasts representing nan United States astatine nan 2024 Olympics are Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera. Aside from Hezly, 16, each 4 women competed astatine nan 2020 Games successful Tokyo (which were postponed to 2021 amid nan COVID-19 pandemic).

At nan Olympics, Simone has nan support of various family members, arsenic good arsenic her husband, Jonathan Owens, who was fixed typical support to miss NFL training campy truthful he could beryllium successful Paris for nan occasion.