Simone Biles: Celebrities fill Olympics gymnastics arena for Paris debut

When Biles competes, the show is in the stands too. Tom Cruise, more stars attend her Olympic return

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Actor Tom Cruise, left in white, poses for pictures with fans as he attends the women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Actor Tom Criuse signs autographs during a women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Actor Tom Cruise takes pictures with fans during a women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Actor Tom Cruise, lower left in white shirt, and entertainer John Legend, top center, in white and brown shirt, take photos with fans as they attend the women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Snoop Dogg waves as he attends the 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)

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Snoop Dogg attends the 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)

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Snoop Dogg attends the women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Actress Jessica Chastain cheers during a women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Entertainers Nick Jonas, center, and John Legend, right, talk with others as they attend the women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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CORRECTS ID TO CYNTHIA ERIVO Frankie Grande, left, Ariana Grande, center, and Cynthia Erivo, right, attend the women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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CORRECTS ID TO CYNTHIA ERIVO Ariana Grande is flanked by Cynthia Erivo and and Frankie Grande during a women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN

PARIS (AP) — The Palais Omnisports was the place to be on the second day of the Paris Olympics. To watch Simone Biles, of course, and to be seen.

A star-studded crowd attended the return to the Olympics of Biles, the most decorated athlete in the history of gymnastics.

Among the high-profile fans were Hollywood star Tom Cruise and Oscar-winning actor Jessica Chastain sitting under the roof of the packed Bercy Arena on Sunday.

Lady Gaga, who delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the opening ceremony earlier this week, was also in the mix. The Grammy-winning performer posted a video of Biles’ routine on the beam on her Instagram account, with the caption: “She nailed it, what an honor to be so close!”

Snoop Dogg had front-row seats while Greta Gerwig, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Nick Jonas and Anna Wintour also attended Biles’ competition.

Snoop Dogg was in a partying mood and danced during the team’s presentations. Cruise was mobbed by fans and agreed to selfies, shaking a few hands.

Biles competed in the team’s qualifying alongside U.S teammates Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey. It was her first competitive appearance in Paris, where she will try to add to her already impressive tally of seven Olympic medals.

Despite discomfort in her left leg, the American gymnastics superstar posted an all-around total of 59.566 and the Americans scored a 172.296, well clear of the field

Also in attendance were USA snowboarder Shaun White and his girlfriend Nina Dobrev. 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.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)