Paris, August 02, 2024, The Europe Today: Simone Biles reclaimed the Olympic all-around crown on Thursday, triumphing over Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade to secure her sixth Olympic gold medal and her second in Paris. Biles, who famously withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Games three years ago due to the disorienting “twisties,” followed up her team gold with the United States earlier this week with another stellar performance.
Defending Olympic champion Sunisa Lee took bronze, marking a significant achievement for the 27-year-old Biles, who became the first gymnast to reclaim the individual title she initially won at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Biles capped her performance with an electrifying floor routine set to Taylor Swift’s hit song “Ready for It,” her high-flying tumbling earning a standing ovation from the crowd.
Biles scored 59.131 points, finishing 1.199 points ahead of Andrade. Lee, 21, secured the bronze with her floor routine, having trailed in fourth place going into the final rotation. This event marked the first time that two women’s Olympic all-around champions have gone head-to-head in pursuit of a second crown.
With this victory, the United States has now won the event six consecutive times, setting a record with a total of seven wins overall. Biles’ Olympic medal count now stands at nine, including six golds.
Biles has the opportunity to add to her impressive tally as she competes in the apparatus finals for vault, floor exercise, and balance beam later in the Paris Games.
