Simone Biles has once again made history by becoming the oldest gymnast to secure an Olympic gold medal in the individual all-around event.
American gymnast Simone Biles has once again made history by securing her second Olympic gold medal in the individual all-around event.
Biles was already the most accomplished gymnast before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and she further cemented her legacy by becoming only the third woman to win two Olympic individual all-around titles. Her total score was an impressive 59.131, edging out Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade who scored 57.932—a margin that marked one of Biles’ narrowest victories in a major international event.
However, it was sufficient for the 27-year-old to secure her second gold medal at the Paris Games and her sixth overall. Additionally, Biles pushed boundaries by becoming the oldest woman since 1952 to claim this prestigious title in her sport.
The past 12 Olympic women’s all-around champions were teenagers. The most recent champion who wasn’t a teen, Lyudmila Turishcheva, celebrated her 20th birthday just weeks before securing victory in 1972.
Biles’ victory underscores her enduring success as a record-breaking athlete, and following her unexpected withdrawal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, it further cements her status as an advocate for mental health. During that period, she experienced what gymnasts refer to as “twisties,” a potentially dangerous condition where athletes lose spatial awareness mid-air and struggle with landings.
Biles, a survivor of sexual assault, spent approximately two years in seclusion concentrating on her rehabilitation and mental health. Her challenges to make a comeback after Tokyo are explored in the new Netflix documentary, “The Rise of Simone Biles,” which also provides glimpses into her married life.
Biles, adorned with a silver goat chain symbolizing GOAT or the “greatest of all time,” commented on her victory: “It’s unbelievable that I’m even being mentioned in discussions about the ‘greatest of all time’ athletes.” She added, “Just think: ‘My name is Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, and I love to flip.'”
The competition with Brazil’s Andrade was incredibly tight, prompting Biles to say, “I don’t want to compete against Rebecca anymore. I’m exhausted; she’s just too close for comfort. I’ve never faced an opponent so narrowly matched.”
Fearing being caught and exchanged, Best ultimately decided to attempt Yurchenko’s double pike jump.
“I believe it’s time to bring up a heavy hitter,” she remarked. She was the first woman to successfully land the extremely challenging jump, recognized as the Biles II, which earned her an impressive score of 15.766 points and compensated for an earlier mistake on the uneven bars during her second rotation. “Seeing my performance after that misstep on the bars makes me grateful—I managed a double pike today even though it wasn’t part of my original plan.”
Biles has incorporated the music of pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyoncé into her current 75-second routine. She executed the most challenging jump ever performed by a woman in the history of gymnastics.
When questioned about the eight-year interval between her all-around gold medal victories, Biles said, “It feels amazing.” She acknowledged being somewhat naive about the process before and expressed a greater appreciation for her hard work.
