Simone Biles has once again established her reign in gymnastics by securing the all-around title, earning her second Olympic gold in Paris and sixth overall. Performing before a star-studded audience, Biles, who had previously won in Rio 2016 and was the favorite in Tokyo 2020 before her withdrawal, became the oldest winner of her sport’s premier event in 72 years.
At the Bercy Arena, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil claimed the silver, while reigning champion Sunisa Lee took the bronze. Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, celebrated her win with a glittering goat necklace, symbolizing her title as the Greatest Of All Time.
“A lot of folks adore this short ode, so I thought it would be incredibly special to have one created because they usually call me the GOAT,” she said. “I like that much more than I like the people who dislike it. This is just a unique aspect of who I am.”
Biles also mentioned having a plush goat in the athletes’ village as a reminder of her capabilities. At 27, she is the first gymnast to win two non-consecutive Olympic all-around titles, breaking a streak dominated by younger athletes.
In her recent triumph, Biles began with her ‘Biles II’ vault, the most difficult in women’s gymnastics, providing her the necessary edge despite an unexpected error on the uneven bars. After trailing Andrade in the initial rotations, her exceptional beam performance earned her a score of 14.566, propelling her to the top. Biles secured her lead with a final floor performance, scoring 59.131, finishing 1.199 points ahead of Andrade.
Georgia-Mae Fenton and Alice Kinsella of Great Britain finished 18th and 12th, respectively, showing improvement from their qualifying attempts.
Despite assisting the U.S. in regaining the team title earlier, Thursday night was Biles’ personal quest to reclaim her title after the challenges in Tokyo with the “twisties” and competing without her family due to pandemic restrictions. After a two-year break, Biles mentioned attending weekly therapy sessions, attributing her victory to her resilience over the past three years.
Biles expressed immense pride in her achievement, noting the mental and physical battles she overcame. Despite the stress of competition, she praised Andrade, acknowledging the Brazilian’s competitiveness as a motivator.
Biles’ return to the top wasn’t without hiccups; a gasp filled the arena when she made a mistake on the uneven bars, but she quickly regained her form on the beam and floor.
Simone Biles continues to break records, becoming the most decorated American Olympic gymnast with her team’s victory and holding the most world and Olympic medals. Her performances in upcoming vault, beam, and floor finals may further cement her legacy.
Simone Biles will compete next in the vault final on Saturday, followed by the beam and floor finals on Monday and Tuesday.