Simone Biles is back on the US team to become the queen of the sport.
Three years after the drama in Tokyo: Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles triumphs with the U.S. team at the Olympic Games in Paris and wins her fifth Olympic gold medal. At the last Games, the exceptional athlete had to withdraw due to mental issues, but now she delivers a grand comeback.
Simone Biles joyfully jumped around the hall, hugged her teammates ecstatically, and blew kisses to the audience. "USA, USA" echoed from the stands as tennis icon Serena Williams and swimming legend Michael Phelps also bowed from the tribune. The gymnastics queen is back on the Olympic throne. Eight years after her last Olympic victory and three years after the Tokyo drama, Biles led the USA to a jubilant team all-around victory, winning her fifth Olympic gold medal.
But this is just the beginning in Paris, the Biles show is just getting started. More medals await the 1.42-meter-tall athlete in the individual all-around and apparatus finals - vault, uneven bars, and balance beam.
In 2021, Biles made headlines worldwide. All eyes were on her, but suddenly she withdrew from the team all-around final due to mental issues and did not compete in any competitions for two years to recover. Now, the American national hero could become the most successful athlete of the Paris Games.
On the evening of the victory, Biles first celebrated the fourth U.S. team gold in history and her impressive comeback on the biggest stage. With her teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, and Hezly Rivera, she beat the competition by almost six points. Italy won silver, and Brazil won bronze. The German team did not qualify for the Summer Games.
The Biles spectacle began in front of 15,000 spectators in the Bercy Arena as early as the team presentation - with a small slip-up. In the midst of deafening noise, Biles walked into the packed hall a moment too early and sheepishly returned to her team with a slightly embarrassed grin. In the next moment, she blew kisses to the crowd, and the small mistake was forgiven.
That Biles was also tense amidst all the attention was evident in her first vault. Although she received top scores, she opted not to perform her signature vault, the "Biles II."
But the show went on. With a teasing wink, which she apologized for with a radiant smile, she kept the audience entertained before the second apparatus, the uneven bars. When she also stuck the landing here, Williams and Phelps on the tribune clapped along joyfully. Biles' left foot injury, sustained during warm-up for qualifications, was barely noticeable. In the breaks, she wrapped her lower leg in a bandage, and the foot held up.
Biles wanted this gold. "It has to be ours," she said after qualifications: "It can't be for anyone else. We're doing it for ourselves and out of love for the sport and out of love for representing the USA."
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris are eagerly anticipated, with Simone Biles aiming to make history. Following her triumphant return at the Olympic Games, Biles aims to add more gold medals to her collection in the individual all-around and apparatus finals.
Thanks to her impressive comeback, Biles led the USA to a historic team all-around victory at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, further cementing her status as one of the greatest athletes of the Games.
