By C. Perera, JadeTimes News
Simone Biles clinched the all around gymnastics title in Paris, earning her second Olympic gold at these Games and her sixth overall, reaffirming her dominance in the sport with another historic achievement. The American gymnast, who had previously won the title at Rio 2016 and was favored at Tokyo 2020 before withdrawing, became the oldest champion in this event in 72 years, performing before a crowd filled with celebrities.
Brazil's Rebeca Andrade secured the silver medal at the Bercy Arena, while the defending champion, Sunisa Lee, took home the bronze. Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, wore a sparkling goat necklace in celebration, symbolizing her status as the greatest of all time . "It's a little ode. a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT, so I thought it would be really special if I got one made," she remarked. She added, "The haters hate it, but I like that even more. It's just a special part of me that I have here."
At 27, Biles is the first gymnast to win non consecutive all around Olympic titles, showcasing her longevity in a sport typically dominated by teenagers. The past 12 Olympic all around women's champions were teenagers, with the last non teen winner, Ludmilla Tourischeva, being just 20 when she won in 1972.
Biles set her intentions clear from the start of Thursday's session, beginning with her 'Biles II' vault, the most challenging in women's gymnastics. This choice proved wise as it provided a crucial buffer after an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars. "Thank God we did the double pike today as I wasn't planning on it," she said.
After two rotations, Biles was trailing Andrade but reclaimed the lead with a high difficulty beam routine that scored 14.566. Taking a lead of 0.166 into the final floor exercise, Biles delivered a flawless routine, finishing with a total score of 59.131, comfortably ahead of Andrade by 1.199 points. Britain's Alice Kinsella placed 12th, and Georgia Mae Fenton 18th.
Despite winning a team title two days prior, Thursday's event was about Biles reestablishing herself as the world's best gymnast after the challenges she faced in Tokyo. Biles, who returned to gymnastics after a two year break, credited her victory to her persistent mental and physical efforts over the past three years. "It means the world to me," she said. "I'm super proud of my performance and the fight that I've had for the last three years mentally and physically just to get back."
Biles admitted that the competition was stressful, especially against Andrade. She acknowledged Andrade's skill, noting it pushed her to perform at her best. A gasp went through the arena when Biles made a mistake on the uneven bars, scoring 13.733, but she recovered with strong performances on the beam and floor, scoring 14.566 and 15.066, respectively.
Biles has an impressive array of statistics and records, including the most World Championship medals and the most women's all around world titles. She did not attempt a new skill on the bars that would have added another record to her name, but her existing high value skills were sufficient to secure the gold.
Biles is scheduled to compete next in the vault final on Saturday and in the beam and floor finals on Monday.
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