Renowned gymnast Simone Biles led the United States gymnastics team to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, marking her first since Rio 2016 and her fifth gold medal overall.
The victory came after a difficult period for Biles, who had withdrawn from several events in Tokyo 2020 due to the “twisties,” a disorienting mental block.
Biles’ floor routine, inspired by Taylor Swift’s song Ready for It?, helped secure the win for the U.S. team, which included Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera. Italy won silver, and Brazil took bronze, their first medal in the event. Great Britain narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth.
The U.S. team redeemed themselves after losing to the Russian Olympic Committee in Tokyo 2020, where Biles had to withdraw after the first rotation for mental health reasons.
U.S. Coach Cecile Landi described the victory as a “redemption tour.”
“Simone was glad it was over for today, the coach said. “The whole team hasn’t been easy; it’s had its ups and downs, so to make it happen was just a relief.
“After Tokyo, I’m so happy we’re on the other side.”
Biles’ performance included impressive routines on the vault, bars, and beam despite having her left calf taped. The U.S. team accumulated a total score of 171.296, outscoring Italy’s 165.494.
After qualifying for the Paris Olympics on June 30, Biles, 27, said that “being in a good mental spot” and “seeing her therapist every Thursday” was key to her triumphant return to the U.S. Olympics team. She had taken a two-year break after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Biles is the oldest woman to compete at the Olympics for the U.S. gymnast team since the 1950s and the most decorated U.S. gymnast (8 medals).
She will next compete in the all-around final, followed by the vault, floor, and beam finals.
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