Simone Biles Nails Top Scores at the Paris Olympics Despite a Leg Injury. Here's What Her Performance Teaches About the Power of Grit. The Olympic great put on a show of physical and mental strength that left viewers and fellow competitors in awe.
By David James Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- Despite a lower leg injury, Simone Biles persevered through pain to earn top scores across four events, asserting her dominance on Team USA.
- Both Simone Biles and reigning champion Suni Lee have qualified for the women’s all-around, with Biles expected to continue despite her injury.
"As good as I can be!"
Those are the words Simone Biles gave when asked if she was okay after she limped off the mat while preparing for her floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics women's gymnastics qualifying competition.
Turns out she was more than okay.
In front of a star-studded audience that included Tom Cruise, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and, of course, Snoop Dogg, Biles put on a display of strength, skill and tenacity that left jaws on the ground around the world.
Related: Simone Biles Reminds Us About the Importance of Finding Our True Selves
Despite the injury to her lower left leg, Biles finished the qualifying round at the top of the leaderboard in the all-around (59.566) — the highest score any gymnast has earned in this Olympic cycle, according to NBC News.
Biles nabbed the No. 1 spot on vault (15.300) thanks to her masterful execution of the Yurchenko double pike vault — a move so difficult many competitors won't even try it. She also took first on floor (14.600), finished second on beam (14.733) and eighth on uneven bars (14.433).
Her fans were blown away by the gutsy performance, including one celeb who is used to being the one in the spotlight:
Biles' self-assessment — "As good as I can be" — reveals a depth of inner strength and honesty with herself that the superstar athlete has fought long and hard to achieve. As many remember, Biles withdrew from both the team final and the all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She later explained that she was experiencing "the twisties," which describes feeling disoriented while in the air.
Speaking with Hoda Kotb on the Today Show before the 2024 Games, she explained how she was able to overcome this debilitating mental and physical hurdle. "I think before I was kind of pushing down my trauma, and now I've learned to speak on it and kind of release that," Biles said. "I think we used to think of therapy as a weakness, and now I think of it as a strength."
Not trying to sugarcoat things and recognizing challenges for what they are is a powerful way — and some would say the only way — to give yourself a fighting chance to succeed.
Related: Simone Biles Receives Outpouring of Support From Sponsors: "We Are in Awe of You"
Next up for Biles? Competing against an impressive field, including reigning Olympic champion Suni Lee, in the all-around final on Tuesday. Here are the standings for the top teams and individuals, per Yahoo!
Women's Team Qualification Results
1. United States (172.296)
2. Italy (166.861)
3. China (166.628)
4. Brazil (166.499)
5. Japan (162.196)
6. Canada (161.563)
7. Great Britain (160.830)
8. Romania (159.497)
9. Netherlands (159.096)
10. Australia (158.964)
11. France (158.797)
12. South Korea (152.496)
Women's All-Around Qualification Results
1. Simone Biles, USA (59.566)
2. Rebeca Andrade, Brazil (57.700)
3. Sunisa Lee, USA (56.132)
4. Jordan Chiles, USA (56.065)
5. Kaylia Nemour, Algeria (55.966)
6. Manila Esposito, Italy (55.898)
7. Alice D'Amato, Italy (55.432)
8. Qiu Qiyuan, China (54.998)
9. Ellie Black, Canada (54.766)
10. Rina Kishi, Japan (54.699)
