PARIS: US star gymnast Simone Biles brushed off fierce competition to take away the gold medal in the women’s all-around final at the Paris Olympics.
The American gymnast edged past Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade with a total score of 59.131. Her compatriot and Tokyo Olympics winner Sunisa Lee settled for a bronze with a total score of 56.465.
While Rebeca missed out on the gold by just over a point, she finished with 57.932 and claimed the gold medal, overall her sixth in the Summer Games.
Sunisa battled through multiple kidney diseases in the past 15 months. But when the situation demanded, she brought her A-game and secured a podium finish.
Biles’ triumph in the women’s all-around event marked her second gold in the ongoing Paris Olympics. She joined the exclusive club of two-time Olympic all-around champions, alongside Larisa Latynina and Vera Caslavska.
The American gymnast was behind the Brazilian after the first two rotations. Following a shaky uneven bars routine in the first half of the competition, Biles found herself trailing.
At the end of the second rotation, Rebeca led the standings with 29.766 points. She was closely followed by Kaylia Nemour of Algeria and Simone Biles with 29.566 points and 29.566 points, respectively.
However, after the second rotation, Biles completely rode high on her momentum and dethroned Rebeca from the top. After the third rotation, Biles stood at the summit with 44.065 points.
She kept the lead intact and stood at the top of the podium with the gold medal. After her triumph, Biles’ tally of world and Olympic medals now stands at 39.
After she bagged the team gold on Tuesday, her Olympic medals tally went to eight. As a result, she overtook Shannon Miller as the most decorated American Olympic gymnast. With her triumph on Thursday, she further established her prowess by extending it to nine.
Along with this, the American gymnast also holds the record for most World Championships medals (30) and most women’s all-around world titles (six). (ANI)