After leading the U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team to a gold medal in the team final, Simone Biles captured the gold medal in the all-around individual competition at the Paris Olympics.
Facing stiff competition from Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (silver) and U.S. teammate Suni Lee (bronze), Biles delivered a dominant performance.
This victory is another chapter in Biles’s remarkable comeback story. After withdrawing from most of the Tokyo Olympics because of mental health struggles, she has returned to the global stage with unwavering determination.
With this latest gold medal, Biles further cements her legacy as the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles made history by becoming the first U.S. female gymnast to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.
In the individual finals opening, she executed a Yurchenko double pike on the vault, a Natalia Yurchenko variation that is so difficult that it is named after her.
Biles’s performance was exceptional, beginning with a vault score of 14.900, which included a 5.600 for difficulty and 9.300 for execution. On the uneven bars, she achieved a score of 14.400, consisting of a 6.200 for difficulty and an 8.200 for execution. Her routine on the floor earned her a score of 14.666 and helped clinch the gold medal for the U.S. team, which achieved a total score of 171.296. Italy secured the silver medal with a score of 165.494, while Brazil took home the bronze with a score of 164.497.
Biles joins an elite group of women who have won two Olympic all-around titles, a rare accomplishment last achieved by Věra Čáslavská of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
The internet lit up with the hashtag #SHEDIDIT trending on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, following Biles’s win.
Beyond her Olympic success, she holds the record for the most World Championship medals with a staggering total of 30. This includes a record-breaking 23 gold medals.
In 2022, Biles was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.
