Simone Biles Sets New Record as the Oldest Female Gymnast to Win All-Around Olympic Gold | World News
US gymnast Simone Biles has once again made history by claiming her second Olympics all-around gold medal.
Biles – already the most decorated gymnast before the 2024 Paris Olympics – shone as she became the third woman to achieve two-time Olympic all-around champion status.
With a total score of 59.131, Biles edged out Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade at 57.932 in one of the closest competitions she has faced at a major international event.
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old secured her second gold at the Paris Olympics and her sixth Olympic gold medal overall.
Biles also made history by becoming the oldest woman to capture the top title in her sport since 1952.
The last 12 Olympic all-around women’s champions were teenagers, with the sole exception being Ludmilla Tourischeva in 1972, who turned 20 shortly before her victory.
Simone Biles during a practice session before the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Pic: Reuters/USA Today
Biles’s recent victory underscores her endurance as a record-breaking athlete and mental health advocate following her unexpected withdrawal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
During that time, she faced challenges known in gymnastics as “twisties”, where the athlete loses spatial awareness and struggles with landing, posing potential risks.
Surviving sexual abuse, Biles took almost two years to focus on recovery and mental well-being.
Her journey to recover from Tokyo has been chronicled in the new Netflix documentary, “Simone Biles Rising,” which also delves into her personal life.
Sporting a silver goat chain (symbolizing GOAT, or the ‘greatest of all time’), Biles reacted to her latest victory by stating: “It is surreal to be considered one of the ‘Greatest of all athletes’ because in my mind, I’m still just Simone Biles from Spring, Texas who loves to flip.”
Following a tight competition with Brazil’s Andrade, Biles remarked: “I don’t want to compete with Rebeca anymore.
“I’m exhausted. She’s too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close.”
Read more:
Biles emotional after becoming most decorated gymnast
Jump to be named after her after historic double pike vault
In a last-minute decision, Biles incorporated her signature Yurchenko double pike vault into her routine, concerned about Andrade catching up.
“I thought, ‘I need to bring out the big guns this time,'” she expressed.
She stands as the sole woman to execute the immensely challenging vault, also known as Biles II. This move garnered her a substantial 15.766 score, compensating for her error on bars during the second rotation.
“After the bars and seeing the score, I was relieved we executed the double pike today, as I had not planned on it,” she added.
Biles performs on the vault during the all-around finals. Pic: AP
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Biles integrated music from pop sensations Taylor Swift and Beyonce into her routine, a 75-second performance beginning with Swift’s hit “Ready For It?” and featuring the most challenging tumbling done by a woman in the sport’s history.
Reflecting on the eight-year gap between her all-around gold medals, Biles shared: “It feels incredible. I was a bit naive during the process, so I now appreciate my craft even more.”
