fly — When Simone Biles competed, celebrity spotting became a part of the Bercy Arena event.
A-list stars Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman and Serena Williams gathered at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena on Tuesday to watch the superstars compete in the team final.
Spike Lee, Michael Phelps and former gymnast Nadia Comaneci were also in the audience.
Williams spent several days in Paris and carried the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony last week, sitting next to Paris Games chief Tony Estanguette.
Kidman and her husband Keith Urban were there with their two daughters. When asked if she was looking forward to the competition, Kidman said, “I’m so excited! I’m so excited!”
Biles’ husband was also in the stands after arriving in the French capital for the women’s team final. Chicago Bears NFL player Jonathan Owens was here on vacation from training camp.
Owens sat next to Biles’ mother and father, Nelly and Ron Biles.
Simone Biles jogged to the podium after completing her routine on the balance beam. Phelps stood up and applauded her, raising his arms in the air as he applauded the American gymnast. He appeared to be filming her with his cell phone.
Lee also jumped up to cheer Biles on as if he were courtside at a New York Knicks game. The actor and film director had a front-row seat on the Bolt Runaway, wearing white-rimmed glasses and a USA Basketball jersey.
Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Jessica Chastain attended Biles’ Olympic comeback qualifying event on Sunday.
Biles, 27, was in the lineup to compete in all four events in the team finals despite a calf injury. Biles sprained her left calf during the warm-up for the floor exercise in Sunday’s preliminaries. She still finished first overall, posting the highest scores on floor and vault.
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AP Olympics https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
