Simone Biles Battles Calf Pain in Gymnastics Qualifiers

Simone Biles wasn’t going to let an apparent leg injury stop her from making a triumphant Olympic return.

On day two of the 2024 Paris Olympics July 28, the world’s most decorated gymnast advanced past the qualifications round while powering through the pain.

After earning the highest score of 14.733 with her balance beam routine, the 27-year-old began warming up for her floor routine and at one point suffered a rough landing, prompting her to stop to get her left ankle leg taped.

Her coach Cecile Landi told reporters after the competition that the athlete “felt a little pain in her calf,” NBC News reported. According to Landi, the apparent injury was also bothering Biles in training earlier this month but had improved until now. She added that the gymnast intends to continue competing in the 2024 Olympics as planned.

And indeed, Biles earned high scores in the other qualifying competitions—15.300 on the vault, 14.433 on the uneven bars and 14.600 with her floor routine, helping Team USA lead with a total score of 172.296.