The second qualifying round for women’s gymnastics was the most highly-anticipated in the city, with rapper Snoop Dogg, actor Tom Cruise, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and singer Ariana Grande all attending the arena to watch Biles compete.
It seemed fitting that Biles started the day with an emotional bronze medal on balance beam, the final event she will compete in at Tokyo 2020 after missing other individual finals to focus on her mental health.
Her warm-up was just like the real thing, getting the fans excited and the photographers’ cameras going full speed.
But she wasn’t fazed – at least, not from what we could see.
She confidently performed her acrobatic skills on the 10-centimeter-wide apparatus, landing a stunning triple spin and complex twist to earn herself a score of 14.733.
She began her floor routine with her namesake Biles II (a double somersault with a triple twist) and missed the floor, but it didn’t matter as the routine was packed with high-value moves and earned her a score of 14.600.
She then paused to sit on the steps, raising concerns that she might have an ankle problem, but then quickly glided powerfully down the runway and performed the Biles II she performed last year. While it wasn’t as good as the Biles II she performed in training earlier this week, it still earned her an impressive score of 15.800.
As she approached the balance beam, a wave of excitement spread: Would she become the only active gymnast to have a move named after her on every apparatus, a sort of gymnastics grand slam?
But she performed more safely and earned 14.433 points, which probably wasn’t enough to qualify for the individual final.
But she will most likely still have a chance to test her new skills in the team and individual finals.
There’s one more reason for many to be excited to see what happens next at the Games as she looks to add to her seven Olympic medals.
More to come later.