Paris: Simone Biles secured her fifth Olympic gold medal on Tuesday, leading the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to victory in the team final at the Paris Games. This achievement underscores her status as one of the greatest athletes in the world, just three years after she withdrew from the Tokyo Games’ team final.
Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, propelled the United States to their 11th Olympic medal in the women’s team event. Her stellar performance across all four apparatuses began with a breathtaking vault, where she executed the Cheng with remarkable height, earning 14.900 points.
With the French team absent from the final, having failed to qualify, the crowd rallied behind Biles and her teammates. The U.S. team finished with a total score of 171.296, a substantial 5.802 points ahead of Italy, who secured second place. Italy achieved their first women’s Olympic team medal since the 1928 Games. Brazil won the bronze with an impressive vault by Rebeca Andrade, marking their first-ever medal in the discipline. Britain finished in fourth place.
Despite competing with her left calf taped due to a muscle strain from Sunday’s qualifying, Biles delivered an effortless routine on the uneven bars. The 15,000 fans at Bercy Arena cheered enthusiastically, chanting “USA, USA, USA!” as she earned 14.400 points.
The star-studded audience, including tennis legend Serena Williams and the most decorated Olympian of all time, swimmer Michael Phelps, applauded as Biles’ teammates, Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles, showcased their own impressive performances on the bars. Lee, the defending all-around Olympic champion, scored 14.566 points, the highest among the Americans on the apparatus.
Chiles, who had performed consistently well in qualifying, fell off the balance beam during the final, which led to gasps throughout the arena. Her score of 12.733 was overshadowed by Lee’s resilient performance, which included risky elements and earned her a score of 14.600, putting the U.S. back on track.
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Biles executed her beam routine with finesse, despite a minor error on a free cartwheel. Her electrifying floor routine left the crowd roaring as she completed her double layout tumbling pass and struck her final pose with palpable joy.
Competing last on the floor, Biles captivated the audience with her gravity-defying tumbling passes, earning 14.666 points to secure the U.S. victory and ignite jubilant celebrations throughout the arena.
Biles’ only notable misstep occurred before the competition began. Focused on her performance, she accidentally bypassed the team introduction by the venue announcers. After being guided back by her teammates, Biles smiled brightly as the crowd erupted in cheers during her name announcement.
At 27, Biles is competing in her third Olympics after unexpectedly withdrawing from the Tokyo Games’ team final due to “twisties”, a condition involving a temporary loss of spatial awareness experienced by gymnasts during complex routines.
