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US gymnastics superstar Simone Biles made her Paris Olympics debut on Sunday to huge cheers from a crowd that included A-list celebrities at the Bercy Arena, with an incredible balance-beam routine as part of the women’s qualifiers. Back after a two-year pause, Biles could become the oldest women’s all-around Olympic champion in 72 years and the third woman to win more than one Olympic all-around title.
Issued on: 28/07/2024 – 12:11
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American Simone Biles competes in the balance beam in women’s gymnastics qualifying at the Paris Olympics. © Loic Venance, AFP
Paris Olympics daily calendar © FMM graphics studio
Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles launched her Paris Olympics campaign with a stunning balance beam routine on Sunday as women’s qualifying got underway in front of a star-studded crowd at Bercy Arena.
Biles won four gold medals in a dazzling 2016 Rio Olympics campaign, but she withdrew from multiple events at the Tokyo Games as she battled the disorientating condition that gymnasts call “twisties”.
She still went home with a silver and bronze and was lauded for speaking openly about mental health struggles.
After taking two years out, Biles made a triumphant comeback last year, earning four world titles to take her tally to an astonishing 23.
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She could become the oldest women’s all-around Olympic champion in 72 years and just the third woman to capture more than one Olympic all-around title.
The buzz was palpable at Bercy Arena, where celebrity fans included Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise, Jessica Chastain and Greta Gerwig, pop star Ariana Grande, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Olympic snowboard star Shaun White and his wife, Canadian actress Nina Dobrev.
Chants of “U-S-A” began to ring out even before gymnasts made their entrance for the second sessin of qualifying, and the roar when Biles was introduced was deafening.
When she saw that her image was on the giant scoreboard screen Biles gave a small wave and kiss to the crowd.
She didn’t disappoint once competition got underway, crushing every skill on the narrow beam and exiting to another ovation.
(AFP)
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