Triumphant Biles leads U.S. to
gymnastics team gold
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[July 31, 2024]
By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Rory Carroll
PARIS (Reuters) - 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 on Tuesday, reinforcing her status as one of the
world's greatest athletes just three years after abruptly
withdrawing from the same event at the Tokyo Games.
Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all-time, earned the United
States their fourth Olympic gold in the women's team event with
dazzling performances on all four apparatus.
The American has been on what she described as a "redemption tour"
at the Paris Games after she shocked a global TV audience by
suddenly withdrawing from the team final in Tokyo suffering from the
"twisties", a condition involving temporary loss of spatial
awareness experienced by gymnasts while performing high-difficulty
elements.
"I started off with therapy this morning and ... I was feeling calm
and ready," the 27-year-old told an overflowing press conference at
the Bercy Arena.
"As soon as I landed vault, I was like 'oh yeah, we're definitely
going to do this'."
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 helped Brazil to land the bronze, their first ever medal in
the discipline. Britain finished fourth.
Biles said it was too soon to reflect on her legacy and was
surprised to hear from a reporter that she has now won a
jaw-dropping 38 world and Olympic medals combined.
"I'm doing what I love and enjoying it, that's all that matters to
me," she said.
"Yes, it's amazing but I don't think I'll truly understand the depth
of it until I walk away from the sport."
Biles, who was competing with her left calf taped after suffering a
muscle strain during Sunday's qualifying competition, started her
bid for the first of a possible five gold medals in Paris on the
vault.
She powered down the runway before soaring high into the air while
executing the Cheng vault to earn 14.900 points.
She then 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.
BILES, 'A DIFFERENT PERSON'
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.
[to top of second column] |
Paris 2024 Olympics - Artistic Gymnastics - Women's Team Victory
Ceremony - Bercy Arena, Paris, France - July 30, 2024. Gold
medallist's Simone Biles of United States, Jordan Chiles of United
States, Jade Carey of United States, Sunisa Lee of United States and
Hezly Rivera of United States celebrate with their medals.
REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
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.
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 vigorously 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, sparking
joyous celebrations around the arena.
After Biles' final score flashed up on the giant screen, the
triumphant American quintet that included Jade Carey and Hezly
Rivera rushed onto the floor with a giant American flag as thousands
of fans in the stands reached for their cell phones, determined to
capture the moment.
"You can definitely tell that she's a different person from Tokyo
than she is now," said Chiles, who was part of the silver
medal-winning U.S. team in Tokyo and is one of Biles' closest
friends.
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.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Karen Braun, Chang-Ran Kim
and Rory Carroll; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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