What Happened to Simone Biles in Paris? 2024 Olympics Calf Injury Explained in Netflix Documentary

After withdrawing from multiple events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to a case of the “twisties,” Simone Biles had an incredible redemption at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The artistic gymnast won three gold medals, including one for the team all-around final, and one silver. However, Simone also suffered — and powered through — a calf injury in Paris. She later explained what happened in the trailer for part two of her Netflix documentary, Simone Biles Rising.

What Happened to Simone Biles in Paris?

Simone fell during warmups for her floor exercise in the qualifying round of the Olympics on July 28, 2024. Her coach Cecile Landi revealed that Simone “felt a little something in her calf,” and viewers saw the Ohio-born athlete limping on the sidelines and getting her calf heavily taped for the competition.

Despite the apparent pain, Simone put on impressive performances in the all-around, earning a score of 14.600 in the floor exercise, 14.433 on uneven bars and 15.800 on vault. Combined with her score of 14.733 on balance beam, Simone had a total of 59.566 — the highest on Team USA.

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The gold medalist told a reporter after the event that she was “as good as I can be” amid the injury.

Simone continued to perform well in the remaining gymnastics events at the Paris Olympics. However, she wore a walking boot on her left foot during an interview with NBC’s Mike Tirico on August 5, 2024.

“Calf is good,” she confirmed. “It’s just precautionary, making sure. Because we still have tour after this, to heal up and all of that stuff. So, just a little bit of soreness.”

Simone continued, “I feel like elite athletes are pretty tough, so we’re just, through pain or pleasure, we’re ready for whatever. So mainly, what you’re seeing here, I was just trying to over rotate for good measure, and I did just that, and almost knocked [my coach] Laurent out. But it was good.”

Simone’s experience at the Paris Olympics will be the focus of part two of Netflix’s Simone Biles Rising doc, which premieres on October 25, 2024. In the trailer, released on October 3, 2024, the second-most decorated female Olympic gymnast spoke about her calf injury.

“My calf, or something, just pulled like, all the way,” a seemingly panicked Simone told her coach in footage from the Games. The camera then showed a close-up of her ankle and calf being wrapped as a voiceover said, “Is this a of déjà vu?” The trailer flashed back and forth between scenes from Tokyo and Paris, including one shot of Simone hopping on one foot after her 2024 injury.

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“After the competition, I asked, ‘How did you do it in so much pain?’” retired gymnast Aly Raisman said. “And she said, ‘I couldn’t have people tell me I was a quitter again.’”

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Simone Biles’ Calf Injury Didn’t Slow Her Down

Despite her injury, Simone was back in the gym less than one month after returning home from her “redemption tour” in Paris. She shared a photo of her “first day back” on her Instagram Stories on August 24, 2024.

Additionally, Simone embarked on the Gold Over America tour — where she and a cast of elite gymnasts are performing in 30 cities across the United States — on September 16, 2024. She even learned a new balance beam skill before the tour began, sharing footage on social media.

“I think having this time off helped me prepare — mentally and physically,” she told People of her brief break between the Olympics and the tour. “I’m most excited for the fans to see the best of both worlds. Men’s and women’s gymnastics in one arena, at the same exact time, sharing the same floor.”