Simone Biles celebrates after team USA won the artistic gymnastics women's team final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on 30 July, 2024. Photo: AFP
Simone Biles clinched her fifth Olympic gold medal as she made a triumphant return to the women's gymnastics team final at the Paris Games, reinforcing her status as one of the world's greatest athletes just three years after withdrawing from the same event at the Tokyo Games.
Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all-time, earned the United States their 11th Olympic medal in the women's team event with a solid performance on all four apparatus after starting off on the vault, from which she soared high into the air while executing the Cheng to earn 14.900 points.
With the crowd rallying behind Biles and her teammates in the absence of the French team that failed to qualify for the final, the United States finished with a total of 171.296, an impressive 5.802 points ahead of second-placed Italy.
While the Italians won their first women's Olympic team medal since the 1928 Olympics, an incredible, high-flying vault by Rebeca Andrade landed Brazil the bronze, their first ever medal in the discipline. Britain finished fourth.
Biles, who was competing with her left calf taped after suffering a muscle strain during Sunday's qualifying competition, glided through her uneven bars routine with ease to the delight of the 15,000 fans packed into Bercy Arena, who serenaded her with chants of "USA, USA, USA!". She was awarded 14.400.
Photo: LOIC VENANCE/AFP
The star-studded crowd that included tennis great Serena Williams and the most successful Olympian ever, swimmer Michael Phelps, also roared their approval when Biles' teammates Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles completed their equally impressive displays on the bars by nailing their dismounts.
After falling flat on the mat during the warm-up, Lee -- the defending all-around Olympic champion -- stuck her landing on the uneven bars, earning 14.566 points, the highest score among the three Americans to perform on the apparatus.
Chiles, who had been solid on every apparatus during qualifying, fell off the balance beam in the final, causing gasps of disbelief throughout the arena.
Her faux pas, which resulted in a score of 12.733, was quickly forgotten thanks to a gutsy performance by Lee.
The 21-year-old never wavered on the 10cm wide apparatus as she executed a number of risky elements while flipping and somersaulting along the balance beam. Her score of 14.600 brought the United States back on track.
Photo: LOIC VENANCE/AFP
Biles moved through her action-packed beam routine with panache, with her only blip being a slight break on a free cartwheel.
An electrifying floor exercise routine by Chiles left the crowd hollering as she completed her double layout tumbling pass.
Her elation as she struck her final pose was clear for all to see as she pumped her fist vigourously while walking off the mat.
Competing last on the floor, Biles exuded confidence as she held a captive audience while performing her gravity-defying tumbling passes. She earned 14.666 points to seal the U.S. victory and sparking joyous celebrations around the arena.
Photo: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP
Biles' only real misstep of the night came before the competition had even started. Wearing a white Team USA tracksuit, she appeared so focused on the task at hand that she emerged from the tunnel and headed straight towards the team's bench instead of pausing for the team's introduction by venue announcers.
After being stopped in her tracks by her teammates, a sheepish Biles took a few steps back, and beamed a big smile as the crowd let out a deafening roar when her name was announced.
The 27-year-old is competing in her third Olympics after she unexpectedly pulled out from the team final at the Tokyo Games suffering from the "twisties", a condition involving temporary loss of spatial awareness experienced by gymnasts while performing high-difficulty elements.
- Reuters