When news dropped about Simone Biles' injured left calf before the Paris Olympics, the USA Gymnastics faithful were shocked. Eventually, she was cleared to compete alongside Hezly Rivera, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey. A couple of rounds on the mats and apparatuses after, she was blazing through the competition. By the end, all expectations were met and surpassed as the Stars and Stripes inched closer to historic glory yet again.

Simone Biles and Suni Lee have both advanced in the Olympics' artistic gymnastics all-around final. This USA Gymnastics duo will be the first in history to compete against each other as former all-around champions. Notably, Suni Lee was the one who bagged the gold medal back in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, Simone Biles came out on top back in the 2016 Rio Olympics, per NBC Sports.

Furthermore, Biles or Lee will become the first woman to win the all-around finals since 56 years ago. The last person to accomplish this feat was Vera Caslavska from Prague.

The Paris Olympics all-around qualifiers were not just nerve-wracking because of many fans. Stakes were very high and the intensity was on a whole new level because of stars like Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande, and Tom Cruis spectating. As a result, not everything was as smooth as expected from the USA Gymnastics squad. The balance beam was the main challenge for the squad and it was quite evident. Even Chellsie Memmel outlined how scary their margin of error was on the aforementioned apparatus, via Juliet Macur of The New York Times.

“Obviously we have we had some nerves on the beam. That’s what it looked like to me, just starting off a little bit nervous, because I know they can all do better than that and they know that,” the USA gymnastics coordinator declared.

A dominant display from USA Gymnastics in the Olympics

Related NewsArticle continues below
Simone Biles’ dominant return has Stephen A. Smith in awe
Simone Biles posts eye-popping Olympic scores despite injury concerns
Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony draws massive viewership not seen since 2012
How Simone Biles is looking to make epic history at Olympics
Jun 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Hezly Rivera, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Simone Biles celebrate after being selected for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women's gymnastics team during the U.S. Olympic Team Gymnastics Trials at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

No other country came close to how insanely talented the Stars and Stripes were in Paris. They sit alone and with no competition at the top with a total of 172.296. The battle for second, however, was very intense. When it all concluded, Italy came out with 166.861 total which allowed them to finish second. China was very close to third as they managed to rack in 166.628. This close clash was rounded out by Brazil. The South American country notched a cumulative score of 166.499.

The all-around finals are going to be intense between two former Olympic gold medalists. No matter who comes out individually, the USA Gymnastics team has pretty much already concluded. Now, it's just time to see if Suni Lee would continue her reign or if Simone Biles' return would mark the perfect end to a legendary career. The Stars and Stripes can just sit back and enjoy the show.