U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, the most decorated man or woman her sport has ever seen, has made it no secret that she wants redemption at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“This is definitely our redemption tour,” said Biles at the recent U.S. Olympic trials. “I feel like we all have more to give… I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that we’re better athletes, we’re more mature, we’re smarter, we’re more consistent.”
Tuesday (23 July) in the French capital, Biles and Team USA took one more step toward showing the world that and reclaiming the Olympic team title, as she worked through a confident and sharp practice session.
The U.S. team arrived nearly 30 minutes prior to the start of their workout, stretching, chatting and laughing in their blue and black warm-up jackets and black tights as they waited to begin their official practice.
When noon hit, the focus ramped up but there were still moments of levity especially from Biles who was often seen laughing with teammates Jordan Chiles or Jade Carey. At one point during her balance beam workout, Biles even stopped on the apparatus to watch the uneven bars of Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour, the reigning world silver medallist on the event and a favourite for multiple medals in Paris.
“Come on!” Biles could be heard cheering as Nemour performed.
Across the four events, Biles looked extremely solid with a very small issue on her opening sequence in her balance beam routine the only area of any concern.
Her floor exercise, where she is a six-time world champion and the Rio 2016 gold medallist, was the highlight of the session. As her Taylor Swift music blared inside the Le Bourget Exhibition Centre training hall, Biles matched the grandeur of the music with a spectacular triple-twisting double back flip.
Biles and the U.S. women’s first competition in Paris is set for Sunday (28 July).
Read below for full training notes on all of Team USA.
