Biles Wins Gold, Lee Takes Bronze in Gymnastics

Simone Biles won gold in Paris in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around on Thursday after the disappointment of Tokyo, while fellow American Suni Lee took bronze. It is the third time the U.S. has had two medallists on the same podium and the sixth straight time Team USA has won gold in the event.

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took the silver.

Quotes from the Winners
“Three years ago, I never thought I’d step foot on a gym mat again,” Biles said after the competition. “Super proud of my performance tonight, couldn’t be prouder.”

Andrade had led in the competition after Biles struggled on the uneven bars in the second rotation, but a strong beam routine surged Biles back into first and she closed out the win on the floor.

“I was praying to all of the gods trying to refocus, recenter and finish the competition,” Biles said after the struggle on bars, scoring a 13.733, just 17th-best in the competition.

Lee needed a sterling performance on the floor for a comeback bronze. “It has taken so much to be here,” said Lee, who dealt with kidney disease in the three years since winning gold in Tokyo. “I didn’t think I would get on the podium. I did everything that I could. I didn’t want to think about the past Olympics, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. It has taken a lot.”

Biles now owns nine medals over her Olympic career, including six gold, one silver, and two bronze. She has a chance for more hardware in Paris, as she will be competing on floor, vault, and balance beam in the upcoming individual events.

Should she win all three, which is not out of the realm of possibility, she would tie Soviet great Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals by a gymnast ever. Even three medals of any color would put her in second for the most medals by a woman ever behind Latynina.

Biles, who won the individual all-around in Rio in 2016, and Lee, who won the individual title in Tokyo in 2021, were the first former all-around winners to face off in an Olympic individual all-around event.

With the win, Biles became the first gymnast ever, male or female, to win the all-around eight years apart. Biles, a favorite to win in Tokyo, dropped out of the event to focus on her mental health.

In winning gold earlier this week, Biles became the most-decorated American gymnast in history with eight medals. She broke a tie with the great Shannon Miller for most overall medals.

Here’s a look at how the competition unfolded:

Rotation 1: Vault

• Lee went first with a Yurchenko double full and had a slight hop on the landing to post a 13.933.
• Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade posted an impressive 15.100, besting Biles on the vault at last year’s world championships.
• Biles posted a 15.766 on her Yurchenko double pike, boosted by a massive 6.400 difficulty score, to shoot to the lead after the first rotation.

Rotation 2: Uneven Bars

• Following Andrade, who scored a 14.666 after a very technically sound routine, Biles dropped behind her Brazilian competitor with a score of 13.733.
• Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour scored 15.533 to jump ahead of Biles through the second rotation.
• Lee then put up 14.866, which put her up to fifth place overall.

Rotation 3: Balance Beam

• Biles kicked off beam with an impressive full twisting double back to score 14.566.
• Italy’s D’Amato followed on beam with 14.033 and Esposito then notched a 14.200.
• Lee earned a score of 14.000 for her beam routine and Andrade finished with a 14.133.
• Biles’ total of 44.065 with just one event remaining put her back in the lead.

Rotation 4: Floor Exercise

• Italy’s D’Amato and Esposito began with scores of 13.500 and 12.733, respectively.
• Lee executed a practically stuck landing in the first pass and left it all on the floor to get a score of 13.666, guaranteeing her spot on the podium.
• Andrade scored 14.033, stepping out of bounds in her first pass, which was crucial to her chance of beating Biles.
• Biles finished with a 15.066 on the floor, bringing her total to 59.131 and taking the gold by 1.199 over Andrade.

The performance of both Biles and Lee not only marks a significant moment in their careers but also adds to the rich history of gymnastics at the Olympics.