Simone Biles is officially the world’s most celebrated gymnast after narrowly defeating Rebeca Andrade of Brazil on Thursday (Aug. 1), coming in at first place at the 2024 Paris Olympics all-around finals. Andrade took silver, while Team USA’s Sunisa Lee collected bronze in the event.
Per the Associated Press, Biles edged out Andrade by just over a point with a final score of 59.131, one of the closest calls she has experienced at any international event. Andrade’s final score totaled 57.932.
Biles, 27, became the oldest all-around Olympic champion since 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya of the Soviet Union won the first-ever Olympic all-around in Melbourne in 1952. She is also just the third woman in history to win multiple golds in the all-around, joining Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia as the only other women to become two-time Olympic champions. Biles is also the first to win all-around titles eight years apart.
Biles has now earned her ninth Olympic medal overall, making her the most decorated American gymnast in the history of the Olympics. Biles could potentially add as many as three more golds, as she is due to compete in the apparatus finals for balance beam, floor exercise and vault. After the win, Biles told reporters (per ESPN): “I just go out here and do what I’m supposed to and I’m doing what I love and enjoying it,” she explained. “So that’s really all that matters to me. Yes, it’s amazing now that I hear it, but I don’t think I’ll truly understand the depth of it until I walk away from the sport.”
Watch Simone Biles’ gold-medal winning all-around Olympic performance – here.
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