PARIS – The U.S. women’s gymnastics team had framed it a redemption tour. But in the end, it was more of a clinic, a showcase – a dominant show of twisting and acrobatic force.
Led by the incomparable Simone Biles, the Americans coasted to yet another Olympic gold medal Tuesday night at Bercy Arena, finishing atop the podium for the third time in the four most recent trips to the Summer Games. They finished nearly six points ahead of the silver medal winners Italy, with Brazil grabbing bronze. It was never really close.
Less than 48 hours after overcoming calf pain in qualifying, Biles competed – and excelled – in all four events, starting the night with a soaring Cheng vault and ending it with her signature floor routine, set in part to the music of Taylor Swift. But her teammates also more than did their parts.
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel
Suni Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champ, was masterful on balance beam and strong on uneven bars. Jordan Chiles, like Biles, competed in all four events and finished with just one notable mistake, on balance beam. And Jade Carey, who has been nursing an illness, hit a terrific vault in her only event of the night. (Hezly Rivera, who competed in qualifying, did not participate in the three-up, three-count format.)
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
After the Fierce Five and the Final Five, this group – led by Biles – had talked about wanting to redeem itself after taking home silver at the 2021 Tokyo Games. It was at those same Olympics, and in this team final, where Biles withdrew from competition abruptly with what she later revealed was a case of the “twisties,” which left her feeling disoriented and unsafe while twisting through the air.
Perhaps it was fitting then that, in her first event of the final, she was back on vault – and back twisting with confidence in her Cheng vault, which is one of the most difficult in the world.
It was clear, from the start, that tonight would be different. All four gymnasts who competed for Team USA were also on the team in Tokyo, where restrictive COVID-19 measures had left the arena mostly and eerily empty.
Instead, on Tuesday, Biles’ parents and husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, were able to watch and cheer for the Americans from the bleachers. The crowd also featured big-name celebrities and sports figures, including Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman. Chants of “U-S-A” rang out sporadically after almost every rotation, and American flags waved throughout the stands.
They had plenty to cheer for, of course, thanks to Biles and company. With Tuesday’s gold, the 27-year-old passed Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast. She now has eight – and perhaps a few more on the way over the next week, with the all-around and apparatus finals still to come.
USA TODAY Sports brought you live results, scores and highlights throughout the team final. Check out the highlights.
Simone Biles now has more Olympic medals than any other American gymnast ever
Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team winning gold in the team final gives Biles more Olympic medals than any other American gymnast. She has eight Olympics medals in three Games, breaking the tie she had with Shannon Miller. Biles already held the record for most golds by an American gymnast, having won four at the Rio Olympics. She also a silver and two bronzes from Rio and Tokyo.
Simone Biles’ floor routine
Simone Biles closed out the entire Olympic women’s gymnatics team final on floor and got a standing ovation from the crowd. She scored a 14.666.
Jordan Chiles dazzles on floor
Jordan Chiles went second in the final rotation for the Ameicans and sent the crowd into a frenzy with her performance. She scored a 13.966.
Suni Lee’s floor score
Suni Lee opened the final rotation for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, putting up a 13.533 on floor.
Simone Biles’ beam score extends Americans’ lead
Team USA is one step closer to a third Olympic gold medal in four tries after Simone Biles managed to maintain her focus on beam. Biles appeared to almost lose her balance on a wolf turn, then did lose her balance on an aerial, clinging to the edge of the beam with her toes. But she didn’t let the wobble turn into a fall, and ultimately, her score of 14.366 will still be one of the higher marks of the night. The U.S. now has a 3.6-point advantage over Italy, which is currently in silver medal position. And Great Britain now has the inside track on bronze.
Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles beam scores
The Americans have given themselves enough of a cushion on vault and uneven bars that the truth of the matter is they can now afford to make a mistake or two — and still win gold. That means Jordan Chiles’ fall when mounting the beam isn’t reason to panic. Chiles recovered from the mistake and was relatively clean for the rest of her routine for a score of 12.733, and Suni Lee then followed with an outstanding performance and a 14.600.
When asked if Chiles’ mistake would impact the team picture at all, NBC commentator and former U.S. gymnast Laurie Hernandez simply chuckled and said no. “Team USA just has enough difficulty … that these scores are going to carry them through, even with a few mistakes,” she said on the broadcast.
Suni Lee’ bars routine
Suni Lee, who specializes on uneven bars, got a deduction for her feet touching the floor. She still scored a 14.566.
Simone Biles‘ uneven bars score
Simone Biles isn’t a big fan of the uneven bars, nor is she quite as dominant on that apparatus as the other three. But she was smooth and steady in her routine, nearly sticking the landing en route to a score of 14.400. And she was grinning wide as soon as her feet hit the ground.
The U.S. gymnasts look almost relaxed as they reach the midway point, while some of their would-be rivals have already suffered mistakes. Both Brazil and China had falls on the balance beam in this rotation, which could only widen the gap between Team USA and the rest of the field.
Jordan Chiles’ bars routine
Jordan Chiles killed it on bars, scoring a 14.366, and she let out a huge scream after. We’re verging into the territory when the competition becomes a coronation.
How many rotations in gymnastics final?
There are four. The U.S. opened the team final with a bang: On vault, where Simone Biles did the Cheng. The Americans then moved to uneven bars, where Suni Lee anchored and scored a 14.566. Next up is balance beam before wrapping up on floor exercise — another one of Biles’ specialties. Biles and World Champions Centre teammate Jordan Chiles, who was unlucky to miss out on the individual all-around final, will each compete on all four apparatuses, while Suni Lee will have three events and Jade Carey will vault. Here’s the complete run-of-show for the U.S. women:
- Vault: Jordan Chiles (14.400), Jade Carey (14.800) and Simone Biles (14.900)
- Uneven bars: Jordan Chiles (14.366), Simone Biles (14.400) and Suni Lee (14.566)
- Balance beam: Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Simone Biles
- Floor exercise: Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles
Simone Biles’ vault score
Simone Biles didn’t do her signature Yurchenko double pike, opting for the second-hardest difficult vault being done these days. Biles scored a 14.9 for her Cheng, which included a small hop on the landing. She smiled and exchanged high fives with coach Laurent Landi and then Cecile Landi, who is both Biles’ co-coach and coach of the U.S. women here in Paris.
That Biles opted for the “easier” vault isn’t a surprise. First, the U.S. doesn’t need it. Though the Yurchenko double pick is worth 0.8 points more than the Cheng, the Americans finished five points ahead of everyone in qualifying. And they still posted 44.1 points on the rotation tonight. Second, Biles tweaked her left calf in qualifying. There’s no reason to push it.
Who is commentating women’s gymnastics?
Here are NBC’s gymnastics commentators.
- Primetime show: Terry Gannon (play-by-play), Tim Daggett (analyst), Samantha Peszek (analyst), John Roethlisberger (analyst/reporter), Zora Stephenson (reporter)
- Live daytime: Rich Lerner (play-by-play), Laurie Hernandez (analyst), Justin Spring (analyst), Zora Stephenson (reporter)
Simone Biles’ calf is wrapped, but is walking normally
Simone Biles is walking normally but has a wrap that covers almost her entire left calf. Remember, she tweaked the left calf on floor exercise warmups during qualifying, and briefly left the floor before returning and getting her ankle heavily taped. She remained in the competition and showed no ill effects, posting the highest individual score. Coach Cecile Landi said afterward it was a flareup of an injury that occurred several weeks earlier, but that it wasn’t a cause for concern.
Who is Simone Biles married to?
She is married to NFL player Jonathan Owens, who is in the arena, sitting with Biles’ parents and wearing a T-shirt with “BILES” on it and a huge photo of his wife in action on it. He landed in Paris on Tuesday morning. In addition to the team final, Owens will be able to watch Biles in the all-around final on Thursday, Aug. 1.
During the first rotation, Owens was seen with a pen in hand, possibly recording scores, as Biles performed her vault routine. Mic’ed up on NBC’s broadcast, Owens let out a healthy “let’s go!” after Biles recorded a 14.900 on the vault, the highest score among the three U.S. gymnasts.
What are the twisties?
Biles missed most of the Tokyo Olympics after developing a case of “the twisties,” which caused her to lose her sense of where she was in the air and jeopardized her physical safety.
How does Olympic gymnastics scoring work?
A gymnastics routine gets two scores: One for difficulty, also known as the D score or start value, and one for execution. Every gymnastics skill has a numerical value, and the D score is the sum total of the skills in a routine. The execution score, or E score, reflects how well the skills were done. A gymnast starts with a 10.0, and deductions for flaws and form errors are taken from there. Add the D and E scores together, and that’s your total for an apparatus. (Vault scores will always be higher because it’s a single skill.)
Simone Biles, U.S. women get huge welcome from crowd
The teams are being introduced to the crowd, Simone Biles and the U.S. women receiving the biggest of all from the crowd. Biles forgot they were supposed to pose and started walking onto the floor before catching herself. Her and Jade Cade were cracking up.
Serena Williams, Michael Phelps in attendance
Retired U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, tennis superstar Serena Williams and actress Natalie Portman are among the A-list stars on hand in Bercy Arena to see what is expected to be a gold medal victory for Simone Biles and Team USA. Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, is also in the arena after flying to Paris overnight. The Chicago Bears allowed the safety to leave training camp temporarily to see Biles compete at the Olympics.
The USA TODAY app brings you every Team USA medal — right when it happens.Download for full Olympics coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and much more.
Simone Biles’ moves named after her: What to know
Simone Biles has left her mark on the sport of gymnastics. In addition to her record number of medals — she has 37 at the world championships and Olympics, more than any other gymnast, male or female — Biles has five skills named after her. Skills are named after the first gymnast to do them in a major international competition, like the world championships or Olympics. She has two on vault, two on floor exercise and one on balance beam. Here’s are the Simone Biles moves named after her. — Nancy Armour
Simone Biles’ Yurchenko double pike: What to know
The Biles II is also known as the Yurchenko double pike, one of five moves named after Simone Biles. Vaults are categorized by “families,” which are based on the entry. On Yurchenko vaults, a gymnast does a roundoff onto the takeoff board and a back handspring onto the table. Biles then follows it with a double somersault in the piked position.
Few men even try this vault, which is so difficult because of the power it takes to get two somersaults as well as its lack of a bailout. If something goes awry, more likely to land on her head or neck than her knees.
Biles began doing this vault in 2021 but didn’t do it at a worlds or Olympics until the 2023 world championships. With a 6.4 difficulty value, it is the hardest vault in the women’s code.
When Biles did the vault last year, she took a half-point deduction for having coach Laurent Landi standing on the landing mat, ready to step in and redirect her into a safe position if it looked as if she was headed for a scary landing. But neither Biles nor Landi feel the need for him to do that anymore.
The most difficult vault commonly executed by other gymnasts is valued at 5.6, eight-tenths lower than the Biles II, so doing it gives Biles a huge scoring advantage.
Is Simone Biles the greatest gymnast of all time?
Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time. She has consistently dominated the sport for over a decade, which would have been an unimaginable feat just a few years ago as most gymnasts reach their peak in their late teens. Her ability to win is in a class of its own. With 37 Olympic and world championship medals — 27 of which are gold — Biles has won the most of any gymnast in history. She has also not lost an all-around competition since 2013.
Biles redefines the possibilities of her sport not just in her record-breaking number of wins and medals, but also in the unmatched difficulty of the skills she completes. Biles has no less than five skills named after her — two on the vault and floor and one on the balance beam — because she was the first, and in most cases, the only athlete to complete them in competition.
How many Olympic medals does Simone Biles have?
Biles has won seven Olympic medals, four of which are gold. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won three individual golds in the all-around, vault and floor exercise and led Team USA’s “Final Five” to the team gold. She also added a bronze medal on the balance beam. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles added a silver medal in the team event and an additional bronze medal in the balance beam to her hardware collection.
How many Olympics has Simone Biles been to?
The 2024 Paris Olympics are Simone Biles‘ third Olympic Games.
Where Simone Biles trains and what it’s like to train with her
Simone Biles trains at Champions Centre World, which is owned by Biles’ parents Nellie and Ron and is just outside Houston, has become one of the premier gyms in the country. WCC has two gymnasts on the five-woman US team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles and Jordan Chiles, with Joscelyn Roberson a traveling alternate and Tiana Sumanasekera a non-traveling alternate. It also sent the most gymnasts, five, to the Olympic trials, and had three more at the US championships.
“Training with Simone is, like, once in a lifetime,” said Roberson, who moved to WCC after the US championships in 2022. “She’s always so bubbly in the gym. Plus, she can hit. All the time. Like, she never has a bad day, which is insane to me.”
How Simone Biles, US Olympic women’s gymnastics shattered age stereotype
Simone Biles, 27, is seeking to become the oldest all-around Olympic champion in women’s gymnastics in 72 years, and she is one of four athletes on the U.S. team who fit what used to be a rare mold, as repeat Olympians in their 20s. The other three − Jade Carey (24), Jordan Chiles (23) and Suni Lee (21) − all competed in college between their two Olympic appearances, which also used to be uncommon. (Hezly Rivera, 16, rounds out the team.)
With an average age north of 22 years old, it will be the oldest U.S. women’s gymnastics team to compete at the Olympics since 1952, according to USA Gymnastics.
“The longevity of this sport has been totally changed. Simone has changed that,” Chiles said. not to control everything that I can’t control anymore,” Biles said.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.