American gymnast Simone Biles has the opportunity to secure her ninth Olympic medal in the all-around final on Thursday, just two days after leading the U.S. women’s team to a gold medal in gymnastics at the Paris Olympics. Biles is the clear favorite to win, having qualified for the final with a significant margin.
However, the drama may center around the battle for the silver medal, which involves a rematch from the Tokyo Olympics between defending champion Sunisa Lee from the U.S. and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade. Lee managed to keep Andrade behind her for the gold medal in the Tokyo all-around final, from which Biles withdrew due to a potentially dangerous mental block known as the “twisties” — a condition experienced by gymnasts where they lose their sense of orientation during routines.
Andrade achieved an all-around score of 57.700 during Sunday’s qualification in Paris, making it the highest score a woman has achieved this year, aside from Biles, and placing her well ahead of Lee’s qualification score of 56.132. However, Lee has the potential to perform a balance beam routine that is 0.7 points better than her qualification performance, which puts pressure on Andrade to replicate her strong prior performance.
Other talented gymnasts are also approaching the favorites. Seventeen-year-old Algerian star Kaylia Nemour, known for her daring combinations on the uneven bars, qualified in fourth place with a score of 55.966. The current European all-around champion, 17-year-old Manila Esposito from Italy, followed closely behind with a score of 55.898. However, China’s Qiu Qiyuan, who qualified in seventh place with a disappointing score of 54.998, may also pose a threat. She suffered a fall and made other mistakes on the balance beam, where she showcased world-class difficulty but scored nearly two points below her target.
The American women have claimed the last five Olympic all-around titles, and an American woman has also earned silver in both 2008 and 2016. Biles’ teammates note that she is a different person now than she was when she suddenly withdrew from the Tokyo Games three years ago amid a mental health crisis.
As Biles stood at the end of the runway before her vault, she stated that she was not haunted by memories of her turbulent time in Tokyo, and she soon soared high as she executed the Cheng vault, helping the U.S. secure a lead they would not relinquish. “After I landed the vault, I was relieved because, phew, there were no flashbacks or anything,” Biles said at a crowded press conference.
On Tuesday, as soon as Biles had completed her vault, she knew that the Americans were set to reclaim their gymnastics supremacy on the world’s biggest stage. “As soon as I landed the vault, I thought, oh yes, we’re definitely going to do this,” she remarked.
Her teammate and close friend Jordan Chiles expressed her relief as well. “I thought, hallelujah, no flashbacks, nothing,” Chiles said with a laugh. From that point on, the experienced team joyfully celebrated each other’s performances as they moved through four rotations at Bercy Arena, ultimately surpassing Italy’s silver medal winners by nearly six points. Brazil took home the bronze.
“It was super exciting,” Biles said, as she was seen dancing a little with Chiles on the sidelines while celebrating another impressive performance. “We had fun, we enjoyed each other’s company out there, and just did our gymnastics.”
After Tokyo, the 27-year-old Biles took a two-year break from the sport to focus on herself and has now returned as a happier, healthier, and better version of herself. “I started therapy this morning, and I told her [the therapist] that I felt calm and ready. And that was exactly what happened,” she said. Chiles expressed pride in witnessing Biles’ development. “You can definitely see that she is a different person now than she was in Tokyo,” Chiles stated. “I always love to say that I train with the GOAT of all GOATs. She will always be in my heart, no matter what.”