Simone Biles made history on Thursday, further cementing her status as one of the all-time gymnastics greats.
At 27, the American became the oldest gymnast to win a gold medal in the individual all-around competition and just the third woman in history to win multiple gold medals in the event.
Biles had to bounce back after a mistake on the uneven bars but still managed to win by a narrow margin over Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
Andrade won the silver medal, while American Suni Lee won the bronze medal.
Biles won in 2016, becoming the first athlete to win non-consecutive gold medals in the women’s all-around competition.
After the balance beam, Biles was in third place behind Andrade and Algeria’s Keilia Nemours.
But she responded like a champ.
Biles delivered a stellar performance on the balance beam and showed her usual strength on the floor exercise to win her second gold medal of these Olympic Games.
She was part of the U.S. women’s team that won the team final on Tuesday.
2024 Paris Olympics
She currently owns nine Olympic medals (the most by an American gymnast) and six gold medals.
Biles may not compete. She is scheduled to compete in the apparatus finals on balance beam, floor exercise and vault.
Her success in Paris was a redemption.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles withdrew from the team final due to suffering from a condition known as “twisties,” which causes skaters to lose track of their location in the air.
Biles withdrew from most other competitions that summer and took a two-year break from competitive gymnastics.
But since her spectacular return last year, she has built a legend in Paris and is set to continue to excel as one of the sport’s greats.
