Simone Biles to Compete in All Four Events Despite Calf Injury
Simone Biles, the American gymnastics icon, has defied a calf injury to compete in all four events during Tuesday night’s Olympic team finals. Despite tweaking her left calf during warm-ups on Sunday, Biles returned to post top scores on floor and vault, securing her position as the all-around leader.
Initially, team leaders considered resting Biles on uneven bars to minimize strain during the Games. However, she will now participate in every event, with three gymnasts competing and all scores counting. Her husband, Jonathan Owens, is expected to attend the finals.
The American team is heavily favored to win gold after finishing second to Russia in Tokyo three years ago. Biles will anchor the team on three events – vault, floor exercise, and balance beam – and will compete second on uneven bars.
Jordan Chiles, who placed fourth in the all-around during qualifying, will also compete in all four events. She will lead off on vault, bars, and balance beam, and follow Lee on floor exercise. Lee, the 2020 Olympic champion, will compete third on uneven bars, second on beam, and first on floor exercise.
The only unexpected change to the lineup is on floor, where 2020 Olympic floor exercise champion Jade Carey will sit out. Carey, who will vault, struggled on floor during qualifying and has been dealing with an illness.
Hezly Rivera, the youngest member of the five-woman team at 16, is not scheduled to compete. Rivera participated on bars and beam during qualifying, but her scores were not included in the team total.