Simone Biles creates Olympics history with incredible first in Paris as Snoop Dogg and Tom Cruise cheer on Team USA icon
Simone Biles was back with a bang at the Olympics and has already made history at Paris 2024.
The 27-year-old is one of the most recognisable stars on the planet and her return to the Games was hugely anticipated.
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She was forced to withdraw from a number of events in Tokyo three years ago after developing 'the twisties'. Something likened to the yips in golf or baseball.
Biles took a lengthy lay-off from the sport, but is in Paris and already seems back at her best.
Simone Biles' family goes bonkers as world's most dominant athlete wows fans again as she wins record 9th all-around title at U.S. championships ahead of Paris Olympics
On the vault, she executed the Yuchenko double pike - the first time a woman has ever done that particular move at the Olympics.
It is the hardest difficulty move on that apparatus.
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She took a slight step back, but managed a score of 15.800. That was comfortably the leading score.
Fans were mesmerised on social media, with one writing: "Simone Biles creating history ….hell rewriting history."
Another added: "What a ridiculous athlete."
A third simply wrote: "Legend."
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There was some strapping on Biles' ankle, but that appears to just be precautionary as it does not seem to have impeded her performance.
"As soon as I took off, I felt it," Biles was heard saying. "It’s right there on my calf. Right where I had that tear."
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Speaking after Sunday's events, USA Olympic team coach Cecile Landi said: "She felt a little something in her calf (today). That’s all. There was just a little pain in her calf. She felt it a little on the floor and we taped it.
"A couple of weeks ago she felt it and after it stopped. She felt a little again today. She felt better at the end of the competition today. On [the] bars [routine] she said she felt better."
The A-list celebrities were out in force to watch Biles in action at the Olympics.
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Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande, Tom Cruise, Anna Wintour, John Legend and NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald were among the big names seen in the crowd.
"It's awesome," Cruise told Reuters in the stands at the Arena.
"Great stories, great athletes. It's incredible what they have to do, the sense of accomplishment," he said.
Fitzgerald said: "She is so resilient to be able to overcome that and put herself back in position from a few years ago to be able to do something that is truly remarkable."
Simone Biles' Olympic record
3 - Number of Olympic Games she has competed in
7 - Total number of medals Biles has won
4 - Gold medals
1 - Silver medal
2 - Bronze medals
Biles topped the individual leaderboard in the all-around standings with a score of 59.566.
“My ‘why’ is nobody is forcing me to do it,” Biles said about her return.
“I wake up every morning and choose to grind in the gym and come out to perform for myself.”
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