Need another reason why Simone Biles is the GOAT? In addition to becoming the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast on Tuesday, Biles just won the individual all-around gold medal at the Paris Olympics. With a 59.131 score, this marks the 27-year-old gymnast’s second time claiming the coveted title, making her the first American gymnast to do so. She is also the first American gymnast to nab six gold medals.
In the all-around final, she closely held off Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, who many consider to be her biggest rival. Andrade nabbed silver, and Biles’ teammate Suni Lee, who won the gold in this event in 2020 after Biles’ withdrawal, won bronze.
Greatest of all time. 🐐@Simone_Biles breaks a 120-year-old record to become the only U.S. gymnast to win six Olympic gold medals.#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/7Gg3r6aavx
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 1, 2024
CUTTING ONIONS. 🥲✨ #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/w1kOroj7me
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) August 1, 2024
Larisa Latynina and Věra Čáslavská, who hail from the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, respectively, have twice won the Olympic all-around gold medal, but Biles stands as the only American to accomplish such a major feat. The exciting news means even more considering that Biles didn’t compete in the all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She withdrew due to the “twisties,” which shocked the world.
“It doesn’t feel comfortable, I have no idea where I am, but I’m twisting, praying I land on my feet,” Biles told Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Today.com reported earlier this year. “I felt like I was fighting my body and my mind to do these tricks.”
Fast forward to 2024, and Biles boasts nine Olympic medals — with six of them being gold medals. When you count her total world championship medals, she’s now up to a whopping 39.
“It is crazy I am in the conversation of the greatest of all time,” Biles recently said, according to USA Today. “I just think I’m still Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, who loves to flip.”
Biles is set to appear in the Olympic event finals this weekend, where she could add three more medals to her resume. She will perform in the vault event on Saturday as well as on the balance beams and in the floor exercise on Monday. This marks Biles’ third Olympic Games.
