Simone Biles just became the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history. The 27-year-old gymnast now has eight medals under her belt. Biles’ total number of medals clocks in at a whopping 38.
In Tuesday’s team final, Biles’ talent led Team USA to win gold for the first time since Rio 2016 with a score of 171.296 — marking the the United States’ fourth gold medal overall. As for Biles herself, she scored 14.366 on the balance beam, 14.900 on the vault and 14.666 for her showstopping floor routine. At 27, she is also the oldest U.S. women’s gymnast to win a gold medal.
Along with Travis Scott and Beyoncé’s “Delresto (Echoes),” Biles’ routine contained music from Taylor Swift, specifically “…Ready For It?” which is the second single off the Grammy winner’s triple-platinum Reputation album.
“Actually, my agent suggested Taylor Swift (and) then I found this Beyoncé song that I really liked and we kind of collabed it together … I do love Taylor Swift and I do love Beyoncé …. Those are my girls!” Biles told NBC.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB 🥇🇺🇸#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/g0h26qMc0y
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024
In a league of her own 🐐 @Simone_Biles is the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/WwOJdCy60S
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024
During the qualifying rounds in Paris, Biles seemingly injured her right calf as she was warming up, but it didn’t stop her from pushing forward with the competition.
“She is an outstanding gymnast and a person and an overall human,” Chellsie Memmel, the U.S. women’s team’s technical lead, told USA Today. “So, what she was able to do, with looking like she had some soreness or something in her lower leg, is remarkable.”
In an interview with NBC News earlier in July, Biles said she and the rest of Team USA headed into the Paris Olympics with the goal of redemption. In Tokyo, Biles’ “twisties” forced her to drop out.
“I feel like we all have more to give and our Tokyo performances weren’t the best,” Biles said. “We weren’t under the best circumstances, either, but I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that we’re better athletes.”
For the first time, Biles and teammate Suni Lee are set to face off as part of the all-around final on Thursday.
“They’re happy and relieved,” U.S. coach Cecile Landi said in an interview with Altoona Mirror. “Day one, now moving on to team finals, all-around finals, a couple event finals hopefully.”
We’re rooting for you, ladies!
