USA Gymnastics held their breath on Sunday during the women's artistic gymnastics qualifying at the 2024 Paris Olympics in Bercy Arena. Top Team USA gymnast and seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles, while warming up for her floor exercise, suffered a left calf injury that forced her to briefly leave the arena floor to get the leg taped up.
Biles would eventually return—and dazzle, performing her signature Yurchenko double pike on the vault en route to posting the highest score in the all-around.
But concern remained about her injury.
Biles and her fellow Team USA gymnasts didn't speak to the media after Sunday's event, but the star gymnast did answer a reporter's question as she walked in the tunnel.
A reporter asked Biles if she was okay, to which the four-time Olympic gold medalist replied, "Yep. As good as I can be," according to CNN's Coy Wire.
Biles hopped down the stage on one foot, walked with a noticeable limp and could be heard saying that "it hurts to push off." But the injury didn't seem to affect Biles's performance much, as she—and Team USA—were atop the leaderboard at the end of the qualifying, in prime position for a gold medal.
Simone Biles update: How serious is the calf injury?
While Biles didn't speak to the media, one of her personal coaches, Cecile Landi did, telling the media that the injury "has been bothering her for a few weeks" and is "minor," according to The Associated Press.
Landi then added that Biles started to feel better towards the end of the qualifying, particularly during the uneven bars, where she declined to attempt the new skill she submitted to the International Federation of Gymnastics prior to the Paris Games.
There has been no discussion of Biles withdrawing from the competition and she is expected to compete in all four events during Tuesday's team final.
Why did Simone Biles withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
Biles withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to what gymnasts call the twisties, a phenomenon that occurs when a gymnast's mind and body are disconnected, causing them to lose their sense of space during a routine. Such a mental block can cause a downturn in performance or serious injury.
Biles, the heavy favorite to repeat as gold medalist in floor and vault at Tokyo, was forced to withdraw from the two events, as well as the uneven bars, due to what USA Gymnastics called a "medical issue."
She remained in the competition in the balance beam, securing a bronze medal. But her withdrawals from several events, including the team all-around portion of the competition, left her seeking redemption at the Paris Games.
When will Simone Biles compete next?
Biles, alongside her USA teammates, will next compete in the women's team final at 12:15 p.m. ET on July 30. Team USA will be gunning for gold after bringing home silver in Tokyo.
Then, Biles will take center stage when she competes in the women's all-around final at 12:15 p.m. ET on August 1. Biles also qualified for the finals in the Vault (August 3), Balance Beam (August 5) and Floor (August 5). She is a first reserve for the Uneven Bars final, which will take place on August 4.
If Biles can perform as she did in the qualifying on Sunday, then "as good as I can be" will very likely be good enough for gold in Paris.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Simone Biles Had Blunt Response When Asked If She Was Okay After Olympics Injury.
