16-year-old Chinese gymnast Zhang Yihan's reaction to Simone Biles' Paris Olympics performance goes viral

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Aug 01, 2024 16:34 GMT

With the world's eyes on her, Simone Biles displayed an incredible show on Day 1 of the women's gymnastics in the qualification round. She left the gymnastics world in awe, including the 16-year-old Chinese gymnast Zhang Yihan, who was present to compete in Paris.

Biles topped three individual events in the qualification round held on July 28, 2024, at the Bercy Arena in Paris. She secured first place in the floor exercise after scoring an impressive score of 14.600 points, leading with a huge gap ahead of Rebeca Andrade's 13.900 points.

The 16-year-old Chinese gymnast, who competed in the floor exercise and uneven bars, was seemingly stunned after watching Biles' electrifying floor exercise. She was seen observing Biles' routine keenly and applauding in amazement as Biles executed her clean flips and tumbles.

In another video, Yihan was also heard expressing her wish to take a picture with the 27-year-old legendary gymnast.

Watch the videos here:

Yihan missed qualifying in floor exercise after falling short of 0.067 points. She also competed in the uneven bars and secured a place to compete in the final round by settling in fifth place, collecting 14. 700 points.

Along with fans and the young Chinese gymnast, Biles stunned the superstars, including Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, Nina Dobrev, Tom Cruise, Shaun White, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Nick Jonas, Greta Gerwig, and Cynthia Erivo, who graced the spectators stand with their attendance.

How many events will Simone Biles compete in during the women's gymnastics final round at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Simone Biles reacts after finishing her routine on the uneven bars during the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Qualification at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Getty Images)

Simone Biles will compete in four events in the final rounds of the women's artistic gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Apart from the floor exercise, Biles also topped the vault event after leaving behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade. While Biles collected 15.300 points, Andrade posted 14.683. Along with Biles, Jade Carey will represent the American squad in the vault final in Paris.

Biles was placed second in the balance beam event, following China's Zhou Yaqin after scoring 14.733 points. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee will accompany Biles in the balance beam event's final round.

Proving her legacy, the 27-year-old dominated the line-up in the all-around event by bagging 59.566 points. Lee, who was placed in third position with 56.132 points will also represent the American squad in the final, vying to defend her title.