PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles dominated during qualifying with the U.S. women's gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics on Sunday despite limping on her left leg and saying she had an issue with her calf.
Here's what we know about Biles' status:
U.S. coach Cecile Landi said only that Biles' injury was minor, has been bothering her for a couple of weeks and there was no discussion of sidelining the seven-time Olympic medalist.
“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 and the rest of Team USA did not speak to reporters after qualifying.
Not by much. Biles completed qualifying and leads the all-around standings with a total of 59.566.
Biles dazzled a star-studded crowd on balance beam to open qualifying, then appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise. She left the floor with Team USA doctor Marcia Faustin — an eerily similar scene to what played out in Tokyo, when Biles dropped out of the team competition to protect her safety.
With her ankle taped, Biles posted the highest score on floor and vault through two subdivisions. She did limit the difficulty of her uneven bars routine, skipping a unique skill she submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation on Friday. She did her usual set to score a 14.333, then tried to keep from putting too much weight on her leg following her dismount.
Landi said there's been no discussion of pulling Biles from the Paris Olympics.
Biles' next event would be the team final Tuesday — the one she skipped in Tokyo, citing concerns with her safety and prompting an international discussion on mental health. The individual all-around is Thursday, where Biles and teammate Sunisa Lee — the Tokyo gold medalist with Biles sidelined — will become the first pair of Olympic all-around champions to square off in an all-around final.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Simone Biles, of United States, prepares to compete on the vault during a women's artistic gymnastics qualification round at Bercy Arena at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Simone Biles competes in Olympics gymnastics with a calf injury: What we know
Simone Biles, of United States, smiles after competing on the vault during a women's artistic gymnastics qualification round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Simone Biles competes in Olympics gymnastics with a calf injury: What we know
DUBLIN (AP) — Veteran politician Micheál Martin is set to become Ireland's prime minister for a second time on Wednesday when lawmakers formally approve him as head of a coalition government.
The confirmation comes almost two months after an election in which Martin’s Fianna Fáil party won the most seats, but not enough to govern alone.
After weeks of talks, the long-dominant center-right parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael agreed to form a coalition with the support of several independent lawmakers.
Under the deal, Martin. 64, will be taoiseach, or prime minister, for three years, with Fine Gael’s Simon Harris – the outgoing taoiseach – as his deputy. The two politicians will then swap jobs for the rest of the five-year term.
Members of both parties have ratified the government agreement, and Matin is set to be confirmed by members of the Dáil, parliament’s lower house, on Wednesday. He will then be formally appointed to the job by President Michael D. Higgins before appointing his Cabinet.
In Ireland’s Nov. 29 election, voters bucked a global trend that saw incumbent governments ousted around the world in 2024. Fianna Fail won 48 of the 174 legislative seats and Fine Gael 38. They’ve secured backing to govern from the mostly conservative Regional Independent Group, which will be given two ministerial positions.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil share broadly similar center-right policies but a century-old rivalry stemming from their origins on opposing sides of Ireland’s civil war in the 1920s. They formed an alliance after the 2020 election ended in a virtual dead heat.
Their new agreement shuts out left-of-center party Sinn Fein, which will stay in opposition despite winning 39 seats. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have refused to work with them because of their historic ties with the Irish Republican Army during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
The new government faces huge pressure to ease rising homelessness, driven by soaring rents and property prices, and to better absorb a growing number of asylum-seekers.
The cost of living — especially Ireland’s acute housing crisis — was a dominant topic in the election campaign, and immigration has become an emotive and challenging issue in a country of 5.4 million people long defined by emigration.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and deputy leader Jack Chambers during the Fianna Fail ard fheis conference at the Radisson Hotel, in Dublin, Sunday Jan. 19, 2025. (Gareth Chaney/PA via AP)
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin speaks to the media, in Dublin, Sunday Jan. 19, 2025. (Gareth Chaney/PA via AP)