Simone Biles, Team USA take aim at gold in women’s gymnastics team final
By WILL GRAVES, AP National Writer
PARIS (AP) — American gymnastics star Simone Biles is inside Bercy Arena for the women’s team final. Biles is competing after tweaking her left calf during qualifying on Sunday.
The five-woman U.S. squad of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera are heavily favored to return to the top of the medal stand in Paris after finishing second to Russia at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
The Americans will be paired with Italy, a surprise runner-up in qualifying.
Biles is scheduled to compete on all four events despite the injury in her return to the team final. She was in the lineup for every event in Tokyo before removing herself from the competition to focus on her mental health after a wonky vault in the first rotation left her concerned she couldn’t protect herself in the air.
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Chiles will also do all four alongside her friend and longtime teammate at World Champions Centre, the gym in the northern Houston suburbs owned by the Biles family.
Lee will compete on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise with Jade Carey, joining Biles and Chiles on the vault.
Italy, China and Brazil were tightly grouped in a pack over five points behind the Americans in qualifying, a massive margin in a sport usually decided by fractions. Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade is perhaps Biles’ biggest competition in the all-around.
The U.S. and Italy will do vault first, followed by uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
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