PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles’ quest for a return to the top of the Olympic podium is officially underway.
The 27-year-old American and the five-woman U.S. gymnastics team took the floor during the second qualifying subdivision for the Paris Games on Sunday. The Americans are heavily favored to win the team gold after finishing runner-up to Russia three years ago in Tokyo.
Tom Cruise posed for selfies with fans while the packed and electric Bercy Arena crowd waited for Biles’ debut. Snoop Dogg had front-row seats, and Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend and Anna Wintour were also on hand.
Biles arrived in Paris as the face of the U.S. Olympic movement and maybe the Olympics themselves. The buzz around her return to the Games has been palpable, with NBC leaning heavily into her star power by splashing Biles’ face on countless promotions in the lead-up to Paris.
Her gravitational pull is real. Athletes across the Olympic spectrum have said they want to make it a point to catch the most decorated gymnast of all time in what could be the final competition of her unparalleled career. Among them: LeBron James and the U.S. men’s basketball team, which was busy Sunday with Olympic qualifying.
Biles and teammates, starting on balance beam, wore blue-gray uniforms with nearly 3,000 sequins sewn into the top. Jordan Chiles went first, giving an emphatic fist bump after nailing the dismount to end her routine.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
