Simone Biles injures her leg during Olympic gymnastics qualifying but still secures 1st place.

During warmups on Sunday, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles seemed to injure her lower left leg. Despite the setback, she completed the remaining events after wrapping her ankle in thick athletic tape.

PARIS — On her first day of competition at the 2024 Olympic Games, gymnast Simone Biles seemed to injure her leg during warm-ups. Despite initial concerns, she completed her routines and secured first place.

After the event, Biles's coach, Cecile Landi, minimized the injury's impact. "She felt a slight discomfort in her calf," Landi noted.

Despite the injury, Biles delivered impressive performances, including a competition-high score of 15.8 on the vault. Coupled with strong contributions from her teammates, this secured a spot for the U.S. women's gymnastics team in the team all-around final on Tuesday, where they are favorites to win gold. The individual all-around final is scheduled for Thursday.

Landi stated that there are no current concerns about Biles's ability to compete in these upcoming events.

During a warm-up for the floor exercise, her second event of the night, Biles seemed to injure her leg. After executing a pass, she walked cautiously off the mat to discuss the situation with her coaches and briefly left the floor. She then came back with her ankle and lower calf wrapped in thick athletic tape.

Despite the injury, Biles went on to finish her remaining routines, achieving a top score of 15.8 on the vault. According to Landi, there was never any doubt in her mind about continuing.

Expectations for Biles and the rest of the U.S. women's gymnastics team are exceptionally high at the Paris Olympics.

At 27, Biles has been performing at the peak of her career since returning to competition last year after a two-year break. She is widely favored to win at least three individual gold medals, as well as a team all-around gold for the U.S.

However, an injury could jeopardize these goals. “First and foremost, I just want to ensure she’s physically okay, and then we’ll take it from there,” said women's team technical lead Chellsie Memmel. “What she managed to accomplish, despite showing signs of soreness in her lower leg, is truly remarkable.”

Earlier this month, Biles had a brief issue with her calf, Landi disclosed. “It was problematic for a short time, then it eased up. But she felt a bit of pain again today,” Landi noted. “Just some minor discomfort in her calf.”

The U.S. women’s team wrapped up their qualification round in the top position. Gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Sunisa Lee, the defending gold medalist in the individual all-around, both scored approximately 3.5 points behind Biles.

“Their goal is clear: to come home with a gold medal,” Memmel said.

In three of Sunday’s rounds, Biles performed last. As her competitors took their turns, she commanded the full attention of a crowd of about 15,000, including high-profile celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Tom Cruise, and Anna Wintour, who had come largely to see her perform.