Simone Biles achieves second Olympic all-around gymnastics victory

PARIS — Simone Biles remains peerless. Even when she’s not quite perfect.

The American gymnastics star edged Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade during a tense Olympic all-around final on Thursday. Biles’ total of 59.131 was just over a point ahead of Andrade at 57.932, one of the closest calls Biles has ever endured at a major international event.

Sunisa Lee, the Tokyo Olympics champion, earned bronze despite spending much of the last 15 months dealing with multiple kidney diseases that left her return to the Games very much in doubt.

Canadian Ellie Black, of Halifax, finished in sixth spot with a total of 54.799 points, while teammate Ava Stewart, of Bowmanville, Ont., was 19th with 51.632.

Still, the meet ended the way all the ones Biles has started and finished over the last 11 years have ended: with hugs and gold on the way.

The margin was the smallest in a major international event since Biles captured the third of her record six world championships in 2015. She was a teenager then. She’s an icon now.

The 27-year-old who is redefining what a gymnast can do — and just as notably, for how long she can do it — became the third woman to become a two-time Olympic champion, joining Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union in 1956 and 1960 and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in 1964 and 1968.

Biles also is the oldest woman to claim the biggest title in her sport since then 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya of the Soviet Union won the first-ever Olympic all-around in Melbourne in 1952.

Yet the sixth gold and ninth overall medal — the same as Romanian great Nadia Comaneci, who was among the star-studded crowd that included the U.S. men’s basketball team — of Biles’ unparalleled career did not come as easy as so many that came before.

She misjudged a transition on uneven bars, the weakest of her four events, letting go of the upper bar too soon and forcing her to reach for a larger-than-expect gap.

While she didn’t fall — Biles muscled her way back into the routine — it blunted her momentum and led to major deductions that left her trailing Andrade through two rotations.

The deficit didn’t last.

Biles responded with a largely wobble-free 14.566 on the balance beam, the highest of the night among the 24 finalists, while Andrade was forced to do a major balance check during her slightly easier set that dropped her down to second heading into floor exercise, Biles’ signature event.

Andrade, the silver medalist behind Lee in 2021, needed the best floor set of her life to catch Biles. It didn’t quite happen. Andrade stepped out of bounds at one point, a minor problem but enough to create plenty of wiggle room for Biles.

Biles incorporated music from pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyonce into her current routine, a 75-second set that began with the opening bars of Swift’s hit “Ready For It?” and featured the hardest tumbling done by a woman in the history of the sport.

When she was done — sealing gold that served as a redemption of sorts three years after pulling out of multiple finals in Tokyo to focus on her mental health — Biles sprinted to hug Lee just off the podium and blew kisses to the cameras that have become fixtures wherever she goes under the Olympic rings.

After the final score was announced, Biles and Lee — both Olympic champions — bolted onto the floor, waving an American flag. Lee, the Tokyo winner with Biles sidelined, is the first to win gold in all-around one Games then earn another medal in the next since Comaneci in 1976 and ’80.

While there may be more medals on the way — Biles is in three event finals later in the Games — the all-around puts her into the conversation as perhaps the greatest American Olympian ever.

Biles is no longer the prodigy who triumphed in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago.

She’s married and a vocal advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and the importance of proper mental health. She openly volunteered after the Americans won gold in the team final on Tuesday that she met with her personal therapist that morning to help get her in the right mindset.

Biles relied on the internal work she’s done over the years after that rocky bars routine. She sat with her legs crossed on a chair in her blue sequined leotard and closed her eyes, immune to the cameras that followed her every move.

When she opened them, she was ready to move on. 

It’s what she does. She has said repeatedly over the last three years that what happened in Tokyo is a part of her past, not a part of her present, and if critics have a problem with it, that’s their issue, not hers.

She’s moved on to bigger things. Like setting a standard that may never be reached.

In her sport. And maybe all others, too.

Simone Biles has once again solidified her status as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time by achieving her second Olympic all-around victory at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Biles, who first won the all-around title at the Rio 2016 Olympics, put on a dazzling display of skill and athleticism to claim the gold medal once again.

Biles’ victory was particularly impressive given the challenges she faced leading up to the Olympics. The 24-year-old gymnast had to overcome a year-long delay of the Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a series of setbacks in her personal life. Despite these obstacles, Biles remained focused and determined to achieve her goals.

In the all-around competition, Biles showcased her incredible talent on all four apparatuses – vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Her routines were marked by flawless execution, jaw-dropping difficulty, and unmatched artistry. Biles’ ability to perform at such a high level under immense pressure is a testament to her mental toughness and competitive spirit.

Biles’ victory in Tokyo cements her legacy as one of the greatest gymnasts in history. With a total of seven Olympic medals, including four golds, Biles has surpassed the achievements of many of her predecessors. Her dominance in the sport has inspired a new generation of gymnasts and raised the bar for what is possible in women’s gymnastics.

As Biles continues to push the boundaries of the sport, fans around the world eagerly await her next performance. Whether she chooses to compete in future Olympics or pursue other endeavors, one thing is certain – Simone Biles will always be remembered as a true champion and a role model for aspiring gymnasts everywhere.