Already a champion with the United States team, Simone Biles continued her stunning comeback by winning the all-around competition. Eight years after the Rio Games, the superstar of world gymnastics has reclaimed her crown. The American champion has definitively put the fiasco of the Tokyo Olympics behind her. Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour was not far from the podium with an encouraging 5th place.
Published on: 01/08/2024 – 20:32Modified on: 01/08/2024 – 20:35
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The qualifiers are lacking. In a Bercy hall in a trance and largely won over to her cause, Simone Biles entered a little more into the history of gymnastics by winning, Thursday August 1st, a ninth Olympic medal, the sixth in gold.
Three years after her retirement from the Tokyo Olympics, the American legend returned to the top of Olympus. The ultra-favorite in the all-around event, she lived up to expectations and outpaced her opponents, even if she appeared less dominant, closely followed by her great rival, Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, who won silver, and her compatriot Susina Lee, the reigning Olympic champion, who took bronze.
Also read: 2024 Olympics day 4: France wins two medals, golden return for Simone Biles
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A scare on the uneven bars
After an excellent performance on vault, one of her specialties, Simone Biles gave herself a scare on the uneven bars with a mistake that cost her a few points. The American even found herself in third place in the provisional ranking, but then recovered on the beam.
At the end of this apparatus, she took the lead in the ranking and never relinquished it. The gymnast finally won gold after the floor exercise, a discipline in which she excels. A clear round in this exercise secured her victory with 59.131 points, and only 1.199 points ahead of Rebeca Andrade.
“I’ve never been so stressed in my life! Thank you Rebeca!” she said, staring at her rival and laughing during the press conference held after the final. The two gymnasts have been competing against each other for years. Two opponents who respect and appreciate each other. “I never want to compete with her again. She’s a truly incredible athlete. I had to pull out all the stops tonight!” added Simone Biles, bursting into another burst of laughter.
“I prayed to all the gods trying to refocus,” she said, referring to her disappointing performance on the uneven bars. “It’s not over until it’s over!”
The best of all time
In front of the journalists, the gymnast appeared with a silver chain around her neck and a new pendant representing a goat, “a goat” in English. This acronym stands for “Greatest Of All Time”, a term that suits Simone Biles perfectly. “I always get called that, so I thought it would be special to have one made for me.” READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
She is indeed on her way to Paris to win five gold medals (team, individual competition, beam, vault and floor) and equal the nine Olympic titles of Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina, the first female athlete to have won nine Olympic titles.
“It’s crazy that I can be considered the greatest of all time when I still consider myself Simone Biles, a young woman from Texas,” she nevertheless stressed with a little modesty.
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“Proud to have never given up”
At 27, with five acrobatic figures named after her, she returned to the Games more motivated than ever after a depression that gripped her in the middle of the Tokyo Olympics and kept her away from gymnastics for a year.
Three years ago, she had to withdraw in the middle of a competition due to “twisties”, these sudden and unpredictable losses of bearings in space, which expose gymnasts to serious injuries.
Her troubles in Japan had broken the taboo surrounding athletes’ mental health and allowed her to speak out publicly on the subject. In January 2018, she had already revealed another intimate wound: that of having been one of the 200 victims of Larry Nassar, the former doctor of the American team sentenced to life in prison for hundreds of sexual assaults.
“Three years ago, I didn’t think I could come back to this level. I had neglected my mental health. I was mentally injured and I didn’t know how long it would take me to heal,” she summed up. “I’m proud of what I accomplished and that I didn’t give up.” Despite this nightmare and the media whirlwind that followed, she made a breathtaking comeback: “This evening means the world to me.”
A place synonymous with hope for Kaylia Nemour
Under the colors of Algeria, Kaylia Nemour created a sensation by ranking in 5th place. Cheered by the public who gave her the best support after that given to Simone Biles, the young 17-year-old athlete achieved the best score on the uneven bars, her specialty.
She is the favorite to win gold in the final of this apparatus which will take place on Sunday, August 4. A great hope for French gymnastics, Kaylia Nemour competes for her father’s country of origin following a dispute with the French federation. However, no French woman had managed to qualify for the all-around competition.
Also read: 2024 Olympics: Kaylia Nemour, the great hope of French gymnastics who shines for Algeria
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