Simone Biles handles pain, leads U.S. in Olympic qualifying

Simone Biles briefly left the floor with what she said was discomfort in her left leg but continued her quest to return atop the Olympic podium Sunday, posting an all-around score that was more than three points ahead of U.S. teammate Suni Lee through two subdivisions of qualifying.

Biles, 27, dazzled during her opening beam routine then briefly left the floor with USA team doctor Marcia Faustin. Biles returned a short time later and spent several minutes sitting and watching her teammates.

U.S. gymnastics coach Cecile Landi said the issue popped up a couple of weeks ago and described it as minor. Landi said there was no discussion of pulling Biles from the event.

"I can't express it," Landi said. "I'm really proud of her and what she's been through and what she's showing the world what she's capable of doing."

Biles was heard on camera saying she felt something in her calf but stepped onto the competition floor with the leg taped. She appeared just fine when Taylor Swift's "Ready for It" began playing, and her routine -- the hardest in the world -- was solid. She walked gingerly off the floor and sat off to the side for a moment before receiving a hug from longtime coach Laurent Landi.

Cecile and Laurent Landi, the couple who have long served as Biles' personal coaches in Texas, encouraged her to take a breath and keep going as Laurent applied heavy doses of tape to her leg.

"We told her to remind herself, like she's capable of doing it," Cecile Landi said. "She knows she's got it and it's OK, and then she did. So really excited for her."

Biles received a 14.600 on floor, the highest of the day so far and assuring her a spot in the event finals next week.

The Americans then moved to vault, the same event where Biles felt something off during the team final in Tokyo three years ago and removed herself from multiple finals to focus on her mental health.

She participated in warmups, shorting the Yurchenko double pike vault that has become her signature. There were no issues about 10 minutes later when she attempted it for the judges, taking a big step back, a byproduct of the massive momentum she generates when she explodes off the vaulting table.

She scored 15.800 -- by far the highest in the world this year -- and followed it up landing her Cheng vault with no major problems, though she was noticeably limping as she made her way back to her seat.

In the Americans' first event, the balance beam, Biles drilled a difficult acrobatic series, her score of 14.733 easily the best among the four Americans. The final event, uneven bars, was Biles' lowest score at 14.433, but her total of 59.566 was easily ahead of the field.

"It was pretty amazing, 59.5," Landi said. "Not perfect, so she can improve even ... [but] just really good."

The only adjustment Biles made was deciding to skip attempting a unique skill on uneven bars that she had submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation on Friday. Instead, she did her usual set and tried to keep from putting too much weight on her leg following her dismount.

Lee is set to join Biles in the all-around individual final after her total of 56.132 narrowly edged teammate Jordan Chiles. Only two gymnasts per country can compete in the all-around final.

The team final is Tuesday, and the women's all-around final is Thursday. The Americans lead qualifying with a total score of 172.296, more than five points clear of Italy (166.861), through two of five subdivisions. They are heavily favored to win the team gold after finishing runner-up to Russia three years ago in Tokyo.

"There's obviously some things we need to work on going into team finals, but I still think we're in a good place," said Chellsie Memmel, a former U.S. Olympic gymnast and the team's technical lead.

There's a chance Chiles will make the floor exercise final should she finish in the top eight. Lee is practically a lock for the beam and bars finals, with 2020 floor exercise champion Jade Carey in good position to join Biles in the vault final.

Biles arrived in Paris as the face of the U.S. Olympic movement. The buzz around her return to the Games has been palpable, with NBC leaning heavily into her star power by splashing Biles' face on countless promotions in the lead-up to Paris.

Her gravitational pull is real. Athletes across the Olympic spectrum have said they want to make it a point to catch the most decorated gymnast of all time in what could be the final competition of her unparalleled career. Among them: LeBron James and the U.S. men's basketball team, which was busy Sunday with Olympic qualifying.

The stands were buzzing and filled with celebrities Sunday. Tom Cruise posed for selfies while waiting for Biles to emerge. Snoop Dogg had front-row seats, and Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend, Anna Wintour and Shaun White were also on hand.

ESPN's Alyssa Roenigk and The Associated Press contributed to this report.