Simone Biles will be a participant in all four events—uneven bars, vault, floor exercise and balance beam—during Tuesday’s team final in women’s gymnastics despite dealing with a calf injury, according to the Associated Press.
The superstar gymnast tweaked her calf during the qualifying round on Sunday, though U.S. coach Cecile Landi described it as minor at the time and said Biles had been dealing with it for a few weeks.
Biles, 27, is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time medalist overall. She completely dominated the 2016 Games, winning gold in the team and all-around competitions along with the vault and floor exercise, but a bout with the “twisties” at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics led to a more subdued performance.
When Biles was seen with tape on her left leg and with a limp in Paris, there was concern that another issue might keep the world’s most talented gymnast from performing up to her potential for a second straight Olympics.
But Biles’ calf injury doesn’t appear likely to limit her.
“We told her to remind herself, like she’s capable of doing it,” U.S. coach Cecile Landi told reporters on Sunday following the qualifying round. “She knows she’s got it and it’s OK and then she did. So, really excited for her.”
Biles posted the highest scores on both floor and vault, a good sign for both her and the United States heading into Tuesday’s team competition and Thursday’s all-around.
If Biles is healthy, she’ll be the favorite to claim her second all-around gold. The United States has the two defending gold medal winners on their team—Sunisa Lee is the other—making them a force to be reckoned with in the team competition.
The United States qualified Sunday with the top score of 172.296, nearly five points clear of second-place Italy. They are the prohibitive favorites to win the team competition, and Biles remains a huge reason why.
