Simone Biles Creates Gymnastics History as She and Suni Lee Lead Team USA to Olympic Gold in All Around Team Finals

Simone Biles claimed her eighth Olympic medal on Tuesday, when Team USA won gold in the women's team final, making her the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history.

By Blesson Daniel

Published on Jul 31, 2024 | 12:25 AM IST | 53.3K

Simone Biles & Suni Lee [Credit-Instagram@simonebiles]

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Simone Biles won her 38th medal in Olympics
Suni Lee topped with the scores in finals

Simone Biles has won her fifth Olympic gold medal, leading the United States to a convincing victory in the women's gymnastics team final at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday afternoon.

The five-woman squad of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera returned the United States to the top of the Olympic podium in dominant fashion, finishing with a combined score of 171.296, more than 5.802 points ahead of Italy (165.494), who won their first artistic gymnastics medal in 96 years. Brazil won bronze (164.497), keeping Great Britain off the podium by only 0.234 points.

The Americans regained their position as the top team in the sport three years after they had to settle for a silver medal as favorites at the Tokyo Olympics after Biles withdrew from the team final after competing only in the vault. They won team gold for the third time in the previous four Summer Games with a strong performance in all four disciplines.

Simone Biles won her 38th medal in Olympics

Even though the outcome was already obvious, the US team, dressed in shimmering red, white, and blue leotards that glistened from the rear of the crowded arena, applauded in unison when the final results appeared on the scoreboard.

With this gold, Biles extended her record as the most decorated gymnast in history, earning 38 medals in her career between the Olympics and world championships.

The 27-year-old from suburban Houston, the oldest American woman to make an Olympic gymnastics team since the 1950s, showed no signs of the calf injury she worsened during Sunday's qualifying round.

The Americans won their eighth consecutive medal in the team event, as well as the fourth women's team gold in Olympic history, making them the undisputed face of the games.

The United States got off to a flying start on vault, with Chiles (14.000) and Carey (14.800) landing their tries before Biles stuck a high-scoring Cheng after electing not to complete the Yurchenko double pike vault, the most difficult vault presently performed by a female gymnast in competition. Despite playing it cautiously, Biles' 14.900 score helped the Americans take an early 1.434-point lead over second-placed China.

Suni Lee topped with the scores in finals

The uneven bars were Biles' weakest discipline and the only event final she did not qualify for. However, the American star performed one of her best routines to date, earning a 14.366 score.

Chiles (14.400) contributed a strong set, but Lee, the individual all-around champion at the past Olympics following Biles' withdrawal, outperformed them both with a score of 14.566, eliciting screams of "U-S-A!" from the upper mezzanine.

By then, Biles and co. had opened up a 3.102-point advantage over Italy, virtually equal to the gap between second and sixth place. The rout was underway.

The Americans proceeded to the beam, where Chiles fell on her front pike before closing strong for a 12.733 score. Lee (14.600) and Biles (14.366) performed more than enough to compensate for their teammate, and the US extended their advantage to 3.602 points after three revolutions.

The US team's last event, like their previous team golds in London and Rio, was the floor exercise. Lee (13.533) and Chiles (13.966) delivered sassy, exuberant routines complete with power tumbling and strong landings, which maintained the tempo and thrilled the audience even more.

By the time Biles ascended the stage to finish the event, the lead was unbeatable. Nonetheless, it was one of the most forward-thinking moments of the Olympics. Biles performed to music that began with Taylor Swift's “Ready for It?”, twice stepping out of bounce but sticking both of her tumblings passes in a performance filled with difficulty. When it was over and her score of 14.666 was announced, the fans applauded.

All five members of the US team smiled from ear to ear as they completed their generally faultless performances. That includes Rivera, the team's youngest player, who will also get a gold medal despite not being chosen for Tuesday's final.

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