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PICS: Sporting legends turn out for Biles at Olympics gymnastics

July 31, 2024 00:16 IST

IMAGE: Simone Biles in action on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women's team final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

American sporting legends including Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin turned out witness Simone Biles go for a fifth Olympic gold medal on Tuesday as Biles-mania continued to grip Paris.

 

The Paris Games marks the return of the most decorated gymnast of all time to the Olympic stage and her debut in qualifying on Sunday saw Tom Cruise, Lady Gaga and dozens of other celebrities pack into the Bercy Arena.

IMAGE: The Paris Games marks the return of the most decorated gymnast of all time to the Olympic stage. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Of all the athletes on hand to see Biles in the team final on Tuesday she was no doubt happiest to see husband and Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, who arrived in Paris earlier in the day.

IMAGE: Jonathan Owens cheers for wife Simone Biles from the stands at Bercy Arena in Paris. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Wearing a "Biles" t-shirt with multiple photos of his wife on it, Owens let out a roar of approval when Biles hit her Cheng vault in the team's first rotation, helping the U.S. take an early lead in a competition they were expected to dominate.

IMAGE: Serena Williams with daughter Alexis Olympia, husband Alexis Ohanian and legendary gymnast Nadia Comaneci, left. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Three years ago Biles abruptly withdrew from the Tokyo Games with "twisties", a condition involving temporary loss of spatial awareness experienced by gymnasts while performing high-difficulty elements.

IMAGE: Five-time Olympic gold medallist Nadia Comaneci -- the first gymnast who scored a perfect 10.0 at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

She went on to open a conversation on mental health and took a two-year break from the sport.

IMAGE: Oscar winner Natalia Portman watches the action from the stands. Photograph: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Biles was all smiles and was seen breaking into some dance moves with her teammates as she made her way around the arena before a sold-out crowd that cheered her at every turn.

Source: REUTERS
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