Three years after stepping back from the team gymnastics final, Simone Biles found herself alone at the Olympics once more. This time, the atmosphere was entirely different. As the night’s final performer, Biles took the floor to clinch gold for Team USA.
After years of moving past that night in Tokyo, the first notes of a Taylor Swift song filled the Bercy Arena, marking the beginning of her routine. Simone Biles was prepared.
Her signature mix of grace, power, and speed created an iconic moment that will be etched in gymnastics and Olympic history. She executed her routine flawlessly, with even a slight stumble failing to break her stride.
“I knew as long as I landed on my feet on all passes, we’d be good. So when I stepped out of bounds, I thought, ‘Well, there’s a line… it’s not a big deal,’” she said.
It was a timeless performance under the brightest lights for an athlete who has faced more scrutiny than most could endure. What the 4-foot-8-inch Simone Biles lacks in height, she more than compensates for in heart and, after years of therapy and self-work, mental toughness.
“At the beginning of the day, I started off with therapy this morning, which was super exciting. I told her I felt calm and ready,” Biles said of her preparations for Tuesday night. “And that’s exactly what happened.” Yet, Tokyo was never far from her mind.
“After I finished vault, I was relieved. I thought, ‘Wooo, please, no flashbacks or anything,’” she said. “But I felt a lot of relief. As soon as I landed vault, I knew, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m OK, we’re going to do this.’” Teammate Jordan Chiles shared the joy after that vault for the same reason.
“Yo, hallelujah, no flashbacks. No, nothing,” Chiles said. “I thought, OK, she just needs to do her normal routine. My jumping up and down was just relief.”
From the moment she entered the Bercy Arena on Sunday to Tuesday’s medal ceremony, Biles was the most watched person in the City of Light. Every step was scrutinized, especially after she aggravated a calf injury during warmups for the floor in Sunday’s qualification.
Despite limping, Biles powered through the competition, qualifying for the all-around individual finals along with the individual balance beam, vault, and floor events. This raised concerns among onlookers, worried she might face the same struggles as in Tokyo.
Biles showed no signs of her calf injury during Tuesday’s team final. Whether it was the adrenaline or the Parisian heat alleviating the pain, Simone Biles – at 27, the oldest American to win an Olympic gymnastics medal and now the most decorated American gymnast in the Games.
Turned back time, Simone Biles reminiscent of 2016
Unlike her remarkable performance in Rio de Janeiro, Biles fully grasped the importance of this moment. She knew what she had endured to get here. Her emotions were clear as she awaited her score, gripping the floor apparatus and looking at the big screen in the Bercy Arena.
Biles must have known she had secured the gold, but when her score of 14.666 appeared – more than enough to clinch the victory – she erupted with joy. First came a jumping hug with her teammates, then posing with Old Glory on the floor she had just dominated.
She then took a light jog around the floor with her teammates, basking in the chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” that echoed through the arena.
As the “Star-Spangled Banner” played during the medal ceremony, with gold once again around her neck, Biles likely felt she had conquered one of the biggest challenges in sports.
“Now that I’m much older and we have so much more experience, we’re out here really having fun and enjoying what we’re doing. So I think it’s just different,” Biles said afterward.
Yet she’s not done; the individual all-around – which she won in 2016 and chose not to compete in three years ago – is on Thursday, followed by the vault on Friday, and the beam and floor exercises on Monday.
Paris 2024 Olympics Medal Count
The U.S. is aiming to match its remarkable success at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where it won 113 medals. As the world’s elite athletes compete for personal achievements and national pride at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, spectators at home will be eager to see which country will lead in the medal standings. Check Latest 2024 Paris Olympics medal results.
Simone Biles’ stunning comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics showcases her resilience and unmatched talent, solidifying her legacy as a gymnastics legend. For now, Biles can look at the gold medal around her neck and know she has solidified her place in gymnastics – and Olympic – history.
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