PARIS — Simone Biles’ quest for a return to the top of the Olympic podium is officially underway.
The 27-year-old American and the five-woman U.S. gymnastics team took the floor at a packed, star-studded Bercy Arena during the second qualifying subdivision for the Paris Games on Sunday. The Americans are heavily favored to win the team gold after finishing runner-up to Russia three years ago in Tokyo.
Biles, with the crowd roaring at every turn and a remix of the pop song “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims playing in the background, dazzled during her opening beam routine, an event where she is a two-time Olympic bronze medallist. She drilled a difficult acrobatic series, her score of 14.733 easily the best among the four Americans.
The stands were buzzing and filled with celebrities. Tom Cruise posed for selfies while waiting for Biles to emerge. Snoop Dogg had front-row seats, and Ariana Grande, Jessica Chastain, John Legend and Anna Wintour were also on hand.
Biles arrived in Paris as the face of the U.S. Olympic movement and maybe the Olympics themselves. 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.
Biles and teammates, starting on balance beam, wore blue-gray uniforms with nearly 3,000 sequins sewn into the top. Jordan Chiles went first, giving an emphatic fist bump after nailing the dismount to end her routine.