“Am I the next one to get hurt? What’s going to happen to me?’” Simone Biles wondered as her two peers, Kayla DiCello and Shilese Jones, exited the Trials arena through tears after their unfortunate leg injuries. After 2021 didn’t exactly pan out the way it was supposed to (with an unforgiving case of “twisties”), Biles was ready to shake off the ghosts of her past. But it looks like fate has other plans.

It all started on July 27, at Bercy Arena during Day 2 of the Paris Olympics, when Biles slipped amid her warm-up routine. She appeared to tweak her calf during floor warmups and briefly left the competition floor with team doctor, Dr. Marcia Faustin, before her rotation. Biles crawled about two-thirds of the way back down the runway, then hopped the rest of the way. The arena fell silent, the weight of the moment hanging heavy in the air.

During the qualification round of the women’s gymnastics competition the next day, Simone briefly exited the competition floor again, following what appeared to be a lower leg injury.

She indicated a spot on her leg and said, “As soon as I took off, I felt it. It’s right there on my calf. Right where I had that tear.” Later, she was seen soothing her leg while a coordinator checked in on her, adding a new chapter to her already eventful journey. Doubts lingered, casting a shadow over her Olympic dreams. Evidently, she was not at her 100%.

Picture this: Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Tom Cruise, three-time Olympic gold-winning snowboarder Shawn White, and Romania’s legendary gymnast, Nadia Comăneci, among others, wait with bated breath for Biles to power through!

And she ends up doing exactly that when the Women’s Subdivision 2 qualifying round begins, leaving the horde of celebrities stunned.

Notably, Simone continued on her right leg, her left one taped. However, reports stated she seemed fine and in good spirits, waving to fans periodically. She even pulled off a Yurchenko Double Pike (YDP), albeit a little short. But did you know this injury isn’t new for Simone? This was merely a glimpse into a history marked by resilience.

Back in 2019, the 22-year-old, who snagged four gold medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and boasted 14 World Championship golds, spilled the beans to the Daily Mail about her injury history. Simone shared, “I’ve been quite fortunate with injuries but there’s been some stuff. There’s been a calf I have partially torn two or three times, I broke a rib in 2016, and oh yeah, it turned out my toe was shattered in five pieces after the last Olympics without me knowing.” This was not just an isolated incident, but a recurring motif in her career.

She mentioned that she had the strange issue for a long time and would often joke about it falling off. When she finally had it X-rayed, the doctors were surprised by how long it had been a problem—about two years. Biles also hinted at a shoulder issue but chose not to elaborate on the details. With a laugh, she concluded that constant jumping eventually leads to gravity taking its toll. But even as she taped her ankle, a familiar adversary lurked in the shadows.

Simone Biles’ has an unlikely companion following her from Tokyo to the Paris Olympics!

Ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles was dealing with more than just mental health issues; she had an annoying ankle injury too. In episode five of her Facebook Watch docuseries, “Simone vs. Herself,” she shared that she re-aggravated an old ligament injury in her foot after a rough landing on a triple-double signature move during training in May.

“Right now, what we’re dealing with is I just have a lot of fluid built up in there,” Biles explained, casually dropping the bomb in the May 24 episode. Yet, amidst the uncertainty, her unwavering spirit refused to be extinguished.

“We don’t have time for rest, we don’t have time for shots and all of that stuff — so tape it is.” Despite this setback, she didn’t miss a beat—she won her seventh US all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championships ten days later and topped the 2021 US Olympic Trials three weeks later. But one wrong move in her tough routines could be risky. So Biles shared, “I always pray. And I’m like, ‘Okay, just please let me survive these 11 weeks.'”

On a separate note, the 27-year-old often jokes about how injuries are a part of her now. “Pain is just something I live with and that is pretty odd for my age, right? It feels weird if I’m not in pain,” she said to the Daily Mail.

As we reflect on this new hurdle in her journey, do you think Simone Biles can shake off her Tokyo “Twisties” and injuries to clinch gold at the Paris Olympics? Share your thoughts in the comments below!