July 30 (UPI) — Unlike her appearance at Tokyo 2020, gymnast Simone Biles was an uninterrupted sensation at the women’s team final Tuesday at the Paris Olympics, leading Team USA to gold medal glory.
The medal gave Biles her eighth overall, making her the most-decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympics history. She entered the Paris Olympics tied with Shannon Miller, who won seven medals, for that designation.
Biles, 27, also became the oldest American female gymnast to win an Olympic medal.
“I think in 2016, we were destined to win gold [but] we were a little young and naive. So it didn’t hit the way that it does now,” Biles said after the victory.
“Now that I’m much older, we have so much more experience, and we’re out here really having fun and enjoying what we’re doing, so I think it’s just different.”
Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Jade Carey teamed up to produce a total score of 171.296 for the Americans. Italy (165.494) finished second, followed by Brazil (164.497).
The gold was the Americans’ fourth in history of the women’s team final. The silver was Italy’s first one in the sport in 96 years.
Team USA held the lead through their first three rotations — vault, uneven bars and balance beam. Biles then secured the medal in her signature event, posting a team-final-best score of 14.666 on the floor exercise.
Biles’ participation marked the first time she competed in the Olympics since July 27, 2021, when she experienced a case of the “twisties” and withdrew after her first rotation on vault and missed the majority of the Games.
She did not appear bothered by any mental blocks or her ailing left calf — which she hugged with brown athletic tape, starting with the second-best score of any athlete on vault.
She was third on the balance beam and sixth in bars, in addition to her top score on floor. Lee tied for first on beam and was third in bars. Carey was third on vault. Chiles was third in floor.
The Americans used stunning vault performances to take a first rotation lead. Chiles started the run, posting a 14.400.
Carey went on to register a 14.800 in her lone event. Biles then totaled a a 14.900, to give Team USA a total at 44.100.
China, who started on uneven bars, was in second, with a score of 42.666. Italy, who started on vault, was third (41.665).
Chiles, Biles and Lee went to the uneven bars next, keeping the Americans on top through the second rotation. Lee led the way for the Americans, posting a 14.566. Chiles registered a 14.366, while Biles submitted a score of 14.400, for a total score of 87.432.
Team USA then jumped on the balance beam, but got off to a subpar start when Chiles fell during her mount. That resulted in a low score of 12.733.
Lee added a 14.600, tied for the best score in the field, and Biles posted a 14.366, despite a near fall from the beam, giving the Americans a total of 129.131.
That score stood 3.602 points ahead of second-place Italy entering the final rotation. Great Britain sat in third place 4.967 points behind the Americans.
Lee got the Americans off to a fantastic start, provided a 13.533 on the floor. Chiles followed with a high-flying and clean routine. Her score of 13.966, third-best of any gymnast, provided more cushion for the Americans.
Biles then emerged for her clinching routine, resulting in her first medal of Paris 2024.
An encore presentation of the women’s team final will air at 8 p.m. on NBC. The men’s individual all-around final will be held Wednesday in Paris.
The women’s individual all-around final will be Thursday at Bercy Arena. The women’s vault and uneven bars finals will be Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The balance beam and floor exercise finals will be Monday in Paris.
