Simone Biles wins gold, Suni Lee takes bronze in women's individual all-around gymnastics at 2024 Olympics
Simone Biles has taken home the gold in the women's gymnastics individual all-around competition as the 2024 Olympic Games continue in Paris. Biles is the first American gymnast to ever win the event twice.
Teammate Suni Lee earned a bronze medal, while Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade won silver.
Biles became the third woman to become a two-time Olympic gymnastics all-around champion, joining Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union in 1956 and 1960 and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in 1964 and 1968.
Other Team USA members Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera were seen in the stands ready to cheer on their teammates before the individual event started. The two gymnasts' families were also in the crowd, along with celebrities including Tony Hawk, Seth Rogen and fellow Olympian Steph Curry.
The 24 competitors, representing 15 countries, each completed a routine on the balance beam, uneven bars, vault and floor.
Who won a medal for the women's gymnastics individual all-around competition?
Biles took home a gold medal for the individual all-around competition. It's her second in the Paris Games: She and the rest of Team USA scored a gold medal for their showing in the women's gymnastics team final on Tuesday.
Andrade won a silver medal, while Lee placed third, earning a bronze medal.
Biles and Lee rushed out onto the floor, waving an American flag after the results were announced. Andrade, hair released from a tight bun, joined them with the Brazilian flag.
Vault rotation
Biles and Lee started on the vault. Lee kicked off the competition with a Yurchenko double fold. She scored 13.933 for the vault.
Lee was followed by Andrade, who scored 15.100 after a near-flawless Chung vault. She scored a 9.5 out of 10 on the execution of the vaul.
Biles competed third, performing the Yurchenko double pike vault - also known as the Biles II. The complex move includes two flips in a pike position. While Biles took a spill landing the vault during warmups, she stuck it perfectly during the competition, earning a score of 15.766 - more than half a point over Andrade's score.
The vault is one of the five moves named after the superstar gymnast: After she successfully completed the vault during the 2023 World Championships, it was renamed the Biles II.
Biles led the event scores after the first rotation.
Uneven bars rotation
Brazil's Andrade was the first to compete on the uneven bars, scoring 14.666 after a routine full of handstands and pirouettes.
Biles performed next, but did not perform the original skill that she had submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation last week.
The bars are considered Biles' weakest apparatus. At one point during her routine, she took an extra swing while transitioning between the two bars, and she grimaced at the camera after her routine. Her score for the rotation was 13.733.
Lee competed last, following D'Amato and Esposito, who fell early in her routine, and Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour. Lee, who took a spill during warmups, performed a stellar routine and was smiling as she landed. Lee scored a 14.866 for the event.
After the second rotation, Andrade led the event scores, followed by Nemour. Biles was in third place, while Lee was in fifth place.
Beam rotation
Biles competed first in the third rotation, wobbling on two skills but successfully completing her routine. She blew a kiss to the crowd after a dismount and was beaming as her 14.566 score was announced.
Lee competed fourth, after D'Amato and Nemour. Lee shook a few times during her beam routine, with commentators noting that she might see deductions for some of those errors. She scored an even 14.000 for the routine.
Andrade competed last, showing off a bold routine with a few wobbles throughout. At one point during Andrade's routine, Biles could be heard cheering her competitor on. The Brazilian gymnast scored a 14.133.
After the third rotation, Biles led the event scores, followed by Andrade. Italy's D'Amato was in third place, while Nemour and Lee were tied for fourth place.
Floor rotation
Lee competed fourth on the floor, following Italy's Alice D'Amato and Manila Esposito and Kalyia Nemour, who represented Algeria. Lee grinned broadly after landing her first pass as the crowd cheered, then showcased a number of skills, including a handspring into a wolf turn. Lee scored a 13.666, guaranteeing her a spot on the podium.
Andrade competed next. She was out of bounds on the first pass, but her routine was otherwise strong. She scored a 14.033, securing a medal.
Biles was last to compete in the floor rotation, starting with a signature triple-twist double-back move. Throughout her difficult routine, she wore a wide smile, arcing through the air. As she finished her routine, the auditorium roared, breaking into cheers of "USA!" On the sidelines, she was hugged by her coach and Lee while waiting for her score.
"Oh my God," she could be heard saying, before hugging Andrade as well.
Biles scored a 15.066, taking first prize.
Simone Biles makes history
Biles already became the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history on Tuesday, but with another gold medal, she's setting new records. She now has nine Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals.
At 27, Biles is the oldest champion in the event in 72 years, according to CBS Sports. Maria Gorokhovskaya was 30 when she took home a gold medal for the Soviet Union at the 1952 Helsinki Games.
Biles is also now the first gymnast to win the all-around individual event eight years apart.
Biles and Lee facing off also marked the first time two gold medalists competed against each other in the event. Biles took home the gold for women's all-around in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and Lee earned the gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, after Biles pulled out of the competition.
Biles' gold medal also continues Team USA's winning streak in the event. An American has now won the all-around gold in six straight Olympics, according to CBS Sports.
Seven Team USA gymnasts have now earned the gold medal in the event, allowing the nation to break its tie with the Soviet Union for most gold medalists in the all-around. Team USA now has the most gold medalists in the event.
