Simone Biles Shines in Olympic Comeback

Simone Biles made a stunning return to the Olympics, showing she was back at her best after overcoming the ‘twisties’ that plagued her at the Tokyo Games. The American gymnast, who boasts 37 world and Olympic medals, took a two-year break following Tokyo due to mental health struggles. Her comeback performance at the Paris Olympics was nothing short of spectacular.

In her highly anticipated return, Biles wowed the crowd at the Bercy Arena, which packed celebrities and millions of global viewers. She started with an impressive beam routine, followed by an energetic floor program featuring one of her signature moves, the Biles II vault. Despite feeling some discomfort and requiring calf strapping, Biles topped the all-around standings with a score of 59.566. This score would have won the last three World Championships.

Simone Biles executed a high-scoring beam routine (14.733), a floor routine with her eponymous Biles II (14.600), and a vault scoring 15.800, though she chose not to attempt a new uneven bars skill. Although she did not qualify for the uneven bars final, Biles secured spots in the team, all-around, vault, floor and beam finals with the chance to win up to five medals.

The arena saw a star-studded audience including Snoop Dogg, Tom Cruise, Anna Wintour and Ariana Grande, all eager to watch Biles. She began her day on the beam, the apparatus where she won bronze at Tokyo 2020. Despite concerns about her ankle, Biles executed her routines with confidence and precision. Commentators hailed Biles as the ultimate athlete of the Games with Matt Baker emphasizing her status as such.

Louis Smith also praised her, describing her as the “Usain Bolt of gymnastics.” Great Britain’s Becky Downie also expressed admiration, highlighting the unique excitement Biles brings to the sport.