Simone Biles returned to the Olympics in Paris despite a leg injury
29 july 2024 в 19:28
Simone Biles made her official return to the Olympics in Paris during the qualifying round, despite an obvious leg injury. Over the weekend, spectators watched as the 27-year-old champion dominated on the uneven bars, balance beam, vault, and floor alongside her teammates — Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Grace McCallum, and Jade Carey.
On Sunday, July 28, the highly decorated gymnast once again impressed judges and viewers alike, as usual, when she performed a flawless routine on the balance beam. After a successful landing, Simone smiled as the audience applauded, many of whom were celebrities who had come to support the greatest gymnast of all time.
Among the most famous faces in the arena during the women’s gymnastics qualifying round were Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise, and Nick Jonas, who even shared a video of Simone’s beam routine on his Instagram. In his comment, Jonas wrote: «Legend».
However, it was later evident that Simone was struggling with leg pain. After warming up before the vault exercise, the athlete noticeably hopped on one leg, apparently to relieve the pressure from the injured one. She then jokingly told her teammates, «I'm going to need a wheelchair», - according to a video posted by NBC.
For Simone, it has been a challenging journey since her last Olympics in Tokyo. During the 2021 games, she withdrew from competition after experiencing a phenomenon known as the «twisties». This phenomenon occurs when a gymnast loses awareness of their position in the air, making any landings dangerous.
After dominating the Olympic trials earlier this summer, Simone told reporters that she had not only overcome her own training, but also critics who had condemned her for withdrawing from the 2021 games.
«They're still going to be like, 'Oh my God, are you going to leave again? Or are you going to leave again?'» she said, according to the Associated Press. «And if I do, what are you going to do? Send me a couple more tweets? I’ve been dealing with it for three years now. But yeah, they want to see us fail».
Simone also noted that she finds the continuous criticism «unfair» because «you only saw it once, and if they fall, then 'Oh, she’s a failure,' and it’s like 'No, you’re still sitting on the couch, and they’re still at the Olympics, what are you talking about they’re failures? They’re the best in their country.' So it’s hard»
On Sunday, July 28, the highly decorated gymnast once again impressed judges and viewers alike, as usual, when she performed a flawless routine on the balance beam. After a successful landing, Simone smiled as the audience applauded, many of whom were celebrities who had come to support the greatest gymnast of all time.
Among the most famous faces in the arena during the women’s gymnastics qualifying round were Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise, and Nick Jonas, who even shared a video of Simone’s beam routine on his Instagram. In his comment, Jonas wrote: «Legend».
However, it was later evident that Simone was struggling with leg pain. After warming up before the vault exercise, the athlete noticeably hopped on one leg, apparently to relieve the pressure from the injured one. She then jokingly told her teammates, «I'm going to need a wheelchair», - according to a video posted by NBC.
For Simone, it has been a challenging journey since her last Olympics in Tokyo. During the 2021 games, she withdrew from competition after experiencing a phenomenon known as the «twisties». This phenomenon occurs when a gymnast loses awareness of their position in the air, making any landings dangerous.
After dominating the Olympic trials earlier this summer, Simone told reporters that she had not only overcome her own training, but also critics who had condemned her for withdrawing from the 2021 games.
«They're still going to be like, 'Oh my God, are you going to leave again? Or are you going to leave again?'» she said, according to the Associated Press. «And if I do, what are you going to do? Send me a couple more tweets? I’ve been dealing with it for three years now. But yeah, they want to see us fail».
Simone also noted that she finds the continuous criticism «unfair» because «you only saw it once, and if they fall, then 'Oh, she’s a failure,' and it’s like 'No, you’re still sitting on the couch, and they’re still at the Olympics, what are you talking about they’re failures? They’re the best in their country.' So it’s hard»
© Smirnova Olga
