Simone Biles persevered through calf pain to record a strong all-around score and showcase the skills that have made her one of the best gymnasts of all time at this year’s Paris Olympics.
Biles landed badly during warming up for her floor routine and left the stadium to have her lower left leg tightly bandaged. This incident happened after she performed a faultless balance beam routine that received the top score of 14.733, the highest in the said event.
Cecile Landi, the athlete’s coach, stated: “She felt a little something in her calf. But yeah, that’s all.” It was reported that she had been experiencing calf pains a few weeks prior to the Paris Games.
Exceptional performances despite the pain
Despite her obvious discomfort and noticeable limp, she was still able to perform with her typical strength on all other apparatuses, achieving outstanding scores of 15.800 on the vault, 14.433 on the uneven bars, and 14.600 on the floor.
To keep her calf loose, Biles didn’t stop moving for the majority of the qualifying session, seldom stopping to sit unless she was receiving instruction. Even though she was clearly uncomfortable during the last three rotations of the day, she rarely slowed down and continued to move with her signature agility. Her happiness was evident as she finished each routine, waving to the audience and dancing with her teammates to celebrate.
She finished with the highest all-around score of 59.566, more than three points ahead of her partner Suni Lee. However, she and the USA team won’t be guaranteed a position in the finals until later after each nation has finished its qualifying round.
Source: CNN