Simone Biles clinched her 10th Olympic medal
Simone Biles celebrates a remarkable achievement at the Paris Olympics by securing her 10th Olympic medal, this time in the vault event, reports NBC News. The American gymnastics icon showcased her unparalleled skills, outshining Brazil's Rebeca Andrade who settled for silver. This victory marks Biles' seventh gold medal — solidifying her status as an Olympic legend.
Joining Biles on the podium was American gymnast Jade Carey, who earned a bronze medal after a previous disappointing performance in the vault final in Tokyo. Carey had stumbled during her vault attempt in Tokyo, but displayed great resilience to bounce back and secure a podium finish in Paris.
Despite facing speculations about retirement, Biles stated after the competition that she hasn't ruled out participating in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, emphasizing the famous phrase, "Never say never." However, she humorously joked about her age, acknowledging that time will be a factor in her decision.
Biles' exceptional performance in Paris serves as a redemption tour, highlighting her extraordinary comeback after experiencing mind blocks known as the "twisties" during the Tokyo Olympics. The negative comments and criticism towards her had taken a toll, but Biles relied on therapy to prioritize her mental well-being.
The individual apparatus finals initiated in Paris with the men's floor exercise, women's vault, and men's pommel horse. In the vault event, gymnasts are required to perform two different entries onto the vaulting table. Biles executed her iconic and notoriously difficult Yurchenko double pike, also known as the "Biles II," which earned her a remarkable score of 15.700. Her second vault consisted of a "Cheng," involving a half-turn followed by a 1.5 twist. With great precision, Biles achieved a solid score of 14.900, resulting in an average of 15.300 for her two vaults.
Biles faced tough competition in Paris, notably from Andrade, who demonstrated elegance and skill. Although Andrade executed her Cheng and Amanar vault routines beautifully, her difficulty score fell marginally short of Biles'. Andrade received a combined score of 14.966, placing her behind Biles.
Simone Biles continues to etch her name in gymnastics history. Just days before her triumph in the vault event, Biles made headlines by becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history during the team event. She surpassed the impressive record previously held by Shannon Miller, securing her eighth Olympic medal.
Building on this accomplishment, Biles claimed the individual all-around gold medal, making her the first American and only the third gymnast in history to achieve this feat multiple times. Her victories in Paris epitomize her unparalleled excellence.
Biles had initially planned to perform her Cheng vault in the all-around final but opted for the safer option due to the significance of the Tokyo twisties incident. However, she showcased her signature "Biles II" vault throughout the competition in Paris, solidifying her dominance and leaving a lasting mark on gymnastics history once again.
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