(PARIS) — Simone Biles took gold in Paris in the 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.
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.
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, who bested Biles on the vault at last year’s world championships and will likely be her top competitor in the all-around as well, posted an impressive 15.100.
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.
Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour scored 14.003 on her vault.
Italians Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito scored 14.000 and 13.866, respectively.
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 13.733.
Nemour, who is a favorite for gold in this apparatus, scored a 15.533 to jump ahead of Biles through the second rotation. Lee then put up a 14.866, which as of time of publication put her up to fifth place overall.
Biles has two of her best events to come with beam and floor remaining.
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. Nemour then posted a 13.233.
Lee earned a score of 14.000 for her beam routine and Andrade finished the rotation with a 14.133.
Biles’ 44.065 total with just one event remaining put her back in the lead as she heads into the floor exercise.
Rotation 4: Floor Exercise
Italy’s D’Amato and Esposito began with 13.500 and 12.733, respectively. Nemour stumbled during her last tumbling pass and slightly stepped out of bounds to earn a 13.100.
Lee executed a practically stuck landing in the first pass and left it all on the floor to get a 13.666, guaranteeing a spot on the podium.
Andrade, who stepped out of bounds in her first pass, earned a 14.033 to snag a spot on the podium.
Biles finished with a 15.066 to take the gold.
Biles goes for gold again, Suni Lee defends her title
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.
Lee, who was cleared for competition in January after overcoming an unspecified kidney disease, is the reigning all-around Olympic gold medalist from the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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