Simone Biles fights through leg injury to dazzle in Paris Olympics debut

July 29 (UPI) -- U.S. gymnast Simone Biles overcame a lower leg injury -- and the shadow of the "twisties" that caused her to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Games -- with a triumphant performance in the women's gymnastics qualifying round.

Biles finished atop the leaderboard in the all-around competition Sunday with a score of 59.566 after placing first in the vault and floor exercise and second in the balance beam.

Her performance qualifies her for the all-around final, as well as three individual competitions, leaving Biles poised to add to her stunning hardware collection of seven Olympic medals.

The 27-year-old's highly anticipated appearance Sunday morning at Bercy Arena delivered its share of anxious moments to go along with spectacular flips and spins.

After finishing her routine on the balance beam, Biles was warming up for the floor event when she appeared to aggravate a calf injury, causing her to visibly limp and even hop off the mat on one foot.

She met with a trainer and briefly left the competition floor before returning with her lower leg tightly wrapped.

While she continued to favor the leg between events, the injury had little impact on her performance. Biles went on to complete the floor exercise, earning a score of 14.6 on the strength of her graceful choreography and athletic tumbling passes, including a sensational triple twist.

She next moved onto the vault, where she landed her signature Yurchenko double pike, also known as the "Biles II" move.

The vault held special significance for Biles-watchers, as it was during that event in the team final in Tokyo that she became disoriented in mid-air -- a kind of mental block known to gymnasts as "the twisties."

Biles recently described the twisties as the feeling that "your mind and your body [are] at a disconnect."

She withdrew from most of the remaining events in Tokyo with her future in competitive gymnastics in doubt. After therapy sessions and two years off from the sport, Biles began practicing and regained her form, winning her sixth all-around title at the world championships in Belgium last fall.

On Sunday, Biles finished the day off on the uneven bars, punching her ticket to the all-around competition on Thursday.

To celebrate, she posted a video clip on TikTok to a (very NSFW) track by Monaleo, captioned "don't mind me acting a fool."

Cecile Landi, Simone Biles' personal coach and the Olympic team coach, said after the event Sunday that Biles "felt a little pain in her calf" during her floor exercise warmup.

The calf was bothering Biles in training a couple of weeks ago, Landi said, but had improved until tweaking it again on Sunday.

Landi downplayed the severity of the injury, saying that Biles "never in her mind" considered pulling out of the competition and added that the star gymnast "wouldn't be able to do what she did today if it was too serious."

Biles will be joined in the all-around individual finals by her teammate, reigning Olympic champion Sunisa Lee, marking the first time in history two all-around gold medalists will compete.

The 21-year-old Lee finished third overall on the day with a score of 56.132.

Boosted by an impressive performance by Jordan Chiles, who finished fourth overall, the U.S. team ended the qualifying round in first place with a total of 172.296.

The women's team final will be held Tuesday, beginning at 12:15 EDT on NBC and Peacock.

The all-around final will be Thursday and individual events begin Aug. 3. In addition to the all-around, Biles will compete in the vault, floor exercise and balance beam.