Simone Biles Competes at World Championships Despite Kidney Stone Pain

Simone Biles is pretty much unstoppable.

Not even a kidney stone could prevent the Olympic gold medalist from performing beautifully during Saturday’s World Championships in Doha, Qatar — or from getting a vault named after her in the process.

Fans had a bit of a scare on Friday, October 26, when Simone posted on Twitter that she was in the ER due to a kidney stone — but the 21-year-old vowed to compete the next day anyway. “Nothing like an ER visit less than 24 hours before World Championships!” Simone tweeted. “This kidney stone can wait.”

It would have to, since Simone clearly wasn’t going to let it stand in her way, hitting all four events to score an incredible 60.965 on day one. Her score currently puts her in first place in the all-around standings.

But perhaps the most impressive moment of the day came on the vault, where Simone landed an extremely impressive move that essentially made history. According to the Associated Press, Simone completed a roundoff, half-twist onto the structure, followed by a front double full off — a move that, until now, has only been completed in competition by male gymnasts. Given this feat, it's no surprise that the vault will hearby be known as "The Biles."

Fans responded to her remarkable performance on social media, praising Simone for her perseverance. One fan wrote: "Things I can do with kidney stones: Sit in bed and gripe. Things Simone Biles can do with kidney stones: Dominate the entire world." Other athletes weighed in on her victory as well; The Chicago Bulls tweeted: “There’s no doubting that she’s a legend.” Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin was astounded as well, writing, “Just when you think she can’t impress you anymore...she does this.”

While performances like this are what fans have come to expect from Simone, Saturday’s victory was a bit different: The pain from the gymnast’s kidney stone meant it was unclear even hours before the competition whether or not she would be able to compete.

According to the AP, the pain reached its crescendo on Friday night, when Simone crawled on the floor in discomfort. Fears that she might have appendicitis sent her to the hospital, and her team briefly had to consider the possibility of competing without her.

Instead, the AP reports, Simone discharged herself, returning from the hospital at 1 a.m. on Saturday morning and vowing to deal with the pain later.

According to the American Urological Association (AUA), kidney stones are formed when your body's urine has high levels of minerals and salts. Some stones remain small, and don't cause any pain, while others can travel into the ureter, which connects the kidney and the bladder. The AUA notes that kidney stones can require a range of treatment, such as waiting for the stone to pass by itself, various forms of medication, and in some cases, surgery. It's always a good idea to consult your doctor if you're experiencing any kind of pain or discomfort.

Simone told USA Today after her performance that the kidney stone is large (she even nicknamed it the “Doha Pearl”) and likely won’t pass by itself, so she’ll have to manage the pain until she can get treatment after the championships.

She didn’t seem worried, though. In fact, she told USA Today, “I hear roller coasters might help kidney stones, and I’m like my own roller coaster out there.”

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