Simone Biles clinched her sixth Olympic gold medal in front of an ecstatic crowd at the Paris Games on Thursday, reasserting her status as the number one all around gymnast three years after she withdrew from the same final at the Tokyo Games.
In a tight race between Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, the American was surprising left trailing in third place after a flawed performance on the uneven bars.
But she was back on top after a solid performance on her next apparatus – the balance beam.
As she waited to perform last on the floor, she knew the gold would be hers if she avoided any unexpected slip ups.
She executed an electrifying routine to secure the gold with a total of 59.131 points, just 1.199 points ahead of her Brazilian rival.
Biles’ teammate Sunisa Lee, the Tokyo all-around champion, fought back from a disappointing start on the vault to claim thee bronze with 56.465 points.
