Simone Biles made Olympic history even before she won another gold medal.
The 27-year-old American, who now has six golds, competed against Sunisa Lee on Thursday while both gymnasts represented Team USA in the individual all-around final.
Biles barely won in what was a tense competition, representing full-circle personal redemption since a 2020 Tokyo case of the twisties that elevated the understanding of how mental health affects athletes.
It marked the first time in Olympic history that two previous all-around gold medallists faced each other in an Olympic event.
The hyped showdown was watched by Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who took time off from Team USA men’s basketball gold pursuit to support Biles — who sported a silver GOAT necklace — and Lee from the stands.
Biles won all-around gold in 2016 in Rio, when she first announced her sport-changing talent to the world.
Lee won the all-around gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, after Biles was forced to withdraw from the competition.
On Thursday night in Paris, Lee was introduced as the ‘reigning champion’ and the main rival of Biles.
Meanwhile, Biles was attempting to become the oldest individual gymnastics gold medalist in more than 70 years.
In 1952, the Soviet Union’s Maria Gorokhovskaya took gold at the age of 30.
In the first grouping, Lee and Biles competed head-to-head in the vault, attempting to edge each other in points while also producing the best possible overall result for the United States.
When Lee performed her first vault, she walked back to find Biles waiting and they shared a friendly fist bump.
Meanwhile, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade posted a strong 15.100 on her vault, placing immediate pressure on Biles and Lee.
Biles answered with an extra spinning rotation, bouncing off the mat but earning a sparkling 15.766 — and roars from a buzzing crowd — due to the difficulty of her attempt.
“Best to ever do it,” one fan tweeted.
“15.766 insane,” a second fan posted.
After the first full rotation of athletes, it was Biles’ event to lose with three performances remaining.
No American had won the Olympic all-around more than once, and Biles was close to another historic moment on an already historic night.
On the uneven bars, Biles again held off on unveiling her new move while displaying a wrap on her injured left calf.
She rallied after an error to post a 13.733, but moved to the balance beam in third place.
“I don’t even know how I held onto that,” Biles was seen saying during the broadcast.
A bounceback on the beam (14.566) kept her near the top.
With tension mounting and a historic gold at stake, Biles was seen sitting cross-legged on a chair, appearing to find calmness within all the external pressure and expectations of all-time greatness.
“Zen,” one fan tweeted.
Heading into the final rotation on the floor, Biles was in first place while Andrade was barely behind in second.
Lee nailed the floor with a 13.666 to lock in a USA bronze.
Andrade confidently glided and twirled in bright yellow on the floor, turning the final over to Biles.
Inside a packed arena and with fans glued to screens across the globe, Biles dug deep to unearth another gold on a night when history was made over and over again.
“I really believe Goat Biles can catch a lob and finish,” Team USA men’s basketball star Kevin Durant tweeted.
The biggest name in the 2024 Olympics delivered a personal victory years in the making to become the first person to win all-around gold in non-consecutive Olympics.
The GOAT was back.
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News Summary:
- Simone Biles wins gold medal in dramatic history-making gymnastics final that was unlike anything seen before in Olympics to seal GOAT status
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