Simone Biles briefly left the court and said she was feeling discomfort in her left leg but continued her bid to return to the Olympic podium on Sunday.
The 27-year-old American and the rest of the five women on the U.S. gymnastics team competed in the second round of Olympic qualifiers in Paris on Sunday at a packed, star-studded Bercy Arena.
The United States is the favorite to win the team gold medal after finishing runner-up to Russia in Tokyo three years ago.
Biles captivated the crowd with her opening balance beam routine before briefly leaving the court with U.S. team doctor Marcia Faustin.
She returned a short time later and sat for a few minutes, observing her teammates.
Biles can be heard telling cameras that she felt something in her calf but stepped onto the field with her leg still taped.
She came on looking perfectly fine as Taylor Swift’s “Ready for It” began to play, and her routine (the hardest in the world) was solid.
She carefully came off the floor, sat on the sidelines for a moment and then received a hug from her longtime coach, Laurent Lundy.
She earned a score of 14.600, securing a place in next week’s final.
The auditorium was packed with celebrities and the crowds were buzzing, with Tom Cruise posing for selfies while waiting for Biles to come out.
Snoop Dogg had a front row seat, and Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend and Anna Wintour were also in attendance.
Biles arrived in Paris as the face of the U.S. Olympic movement and, perhaps, the Olympics themselves.
The buzz surrounding her Olympic return is palpable, with NBC banking on Biles’ star power, including using her face in countless promotions leading up to the Paris Games.
Her gravitational pull is real: Olympic athletes in all disciplines say they are determined to catch the most decorated gymnast of all time in what may be the final competition of her unparalleled career.
Among them was LeBron James and the U.S. men’s basketball team, which was busy Sunday with Olympic qualifying.
Biles and her teammates started on the balance beam, wearing blue-gray uniforms with about 3,000 sequins sewn onto the tops. Jordan Childs led the way, landing flawlessly at the end of her routine and then giving a powerful fist bump.
