A HISTORIC COMEBACK SIMONE RILES IS GOLDEN!

FROM THE LAST-MINUTE INJURY SHE OVERCAME TO HER PRIVATE CELEBRATIONS WITH HER PARENTS AND HUSBAND: INSIDE A WHIRLWIND WEEK OF VICTORY IN PARIS FOR AMERICA'S GREATEST GYMNAST

- JOHNNY DODD

For Simone Biles, day one of gymnastics competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics appeared to get off to a nerve-racking start. After what was later reported to be a tweak in her calf on July 28, the 27-year-old icon was seen getting her left leg taped and then limping to the exit at the packed Bercy Arena in Paris. Millions of fans were reminded of what happened at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021: Citing her mental health and a sudden bout of the “twisties”—a phenomenon in gymnastics that robbed her of the ability to sense where her body was in the air—she had made the agonizing decision to withdraw from most of her events. But when asked if she was okay following her latest scare in Paris, Biles flashed her trademark smile and replied, “Yup, I’m the best I can be.”

Turns out that’s pretty darn good. Two days later—after strong performances by teammates Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles— all eyes were riveted by Biles as her nearly spotless floor routine clinched the team gold for the U.S. women and kicked off a medal-winning spree over five days of events. By the end she had become the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history. And just like that, any concerns about her struggles in Japan were in the rearview mirror. “I think I was a little bit more nervous,” Biles admitted to reporters afterward. “After I finished the vault, I was relieved. I was like, ‘Whoo,’ because I didn’t have some flashbacks [from Tokyo] or anything.”