Simone Biles is ready to break records in Paris: a historic victory at the Olympics
7 august 2024 в 07:28
Simone Biles was ready to break records in Paris.
The Olympic champion, who was already the most decorated American gymnast before the 2024 Games, became the second oldest woman to win the all-around Olympic title twice, joining Maria Gorokhovskaya, who achieved this in 1952 at the age of 30.
Her total score of 59.131 was just over a point ahead of Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade with 57.932, one of the toughest challenges Biles has ever faced at a major international event. But it was enough for the 27-year-old athlete to win her second gold at the Paris Olympics and her sixth overall Olympic gold medal.
The last 12 women’s all-around Olympic champions were teenagers. The last non-teenage winner, Ludmila Turishcheva, had just turned 20 a few weeks before she won in 1972.
Biles made her final appearance at the 2024 Olympics, winning gold in vault, all-around, and team final in Paris. Winning silver in floor exercise for her 11th Olympic medal, she tied with Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska for the most medals by a female gymnast in Olympic history. The record belongs to Larisa Latynina, who earned 18 medals for the Soviet Union between 1956 and 1964.
Widely recognized as one of the greatest artistic gymnasts, Biles has a legendary record in artistic gymnastics. Among the records she aimed to achieve before heading to Paris were becoming the oldest American woman to win an Olympic medal in women’s gymnastics, the oldest American woman to win Olympic gold in gymnastics, and the oldest woman overall to win Olympic gold in gymnastics.
And the unparalleled athlete achieved these records.
Biles became the oldest American woman to win an Olympic medal in women’s gymnastics in the last 76 years. Previously, three members of the U.S. bronze medal team in 1948 were between the ages of 27 and 29.
With one gold in Paris, Biles became the oldest American woman ever to win Olympic gold in gymnastics. Previously, this record belonged to Aly Raisman, who had two gold medals in 2016 at the age of 22.
Finally, Biles became the oldest gymnast in the world to win gold since Soviet gymnast Polina Astakhova did so in 1964 at the age of 27.
Biles' continued record-breaking and history-making is a testament to the gymnast who advocates for mental health for herself and others after her difficult withdrawal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
At that time, she experienced what the gymnastics world calls a «twisties», - when an athlete experiences a disconnect between mind and body in the air, which can lead to serious injuries
The Olympic champion, who was already the most decorated American gymnast before the 2024 Games, became the second oldest woman to win the all-around Olympic title twice, joining Maria Gorokhovskaya, who achieved this in 1952 at the age of 30.
Her total score of 59.131 was just over a point ahead of Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade with 57.932, one of the toughest challenges Biles has ever faced at a major international event. But it was enough for the 27-year-old athlete to win her second gold at the Paris Olympics and her sixth overall Olympic gold medal.
The last 12 women’s all-around Olympic champions were teenagers. The last non-teenage winner, Ludmila Turishcheva, had just turned 20 a few weeks before she won in 1972.
Biles made her final appearance at the 2024 Olympics, winning gold in vault, all-around, and team final in Paris. Winning silver in floor exercise for her 11th Olympic medal, she tied with Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska for the most medals by a female gymnast in Olympic history. The record belongs to Larisa Latynina, who earned 18 medals for the Soviet Union between 1956 and 1964.
Widely recognized as one of the greatest artistic gymnasts, Biles has a legendary record in artistic gymnastics. Among the records she aimed to achieve before heading to Paris were becoming the oldest American woman to win an Olympic medal in women’s gymnastics, the oldest American woman to win Olympic gold in gymnastics, and the oldest woman overall to win Olympic gold in gymnastics.
And the unparalleled athlete achieved these records.
Biles became the oldest American woman to win an Olympic medal in women’s gymnastics in the last 76 years. Previously, three members of the U.S. bronze medal team in 1948 were between the ages of 27 and 29.
With one gold in Paris, Biles became the oldest American woman ever to win Olympic gold in gymnastics. Previously, this record belonged to Aly Raisman, who had two gold medals in 2016 at the age of 22.
Finally, Biles became the oldest gymnast in the world to win gold since Soviet gymnast Polina Astakhova did so in 1964 at the age of 27.
Biles' continued record-breaking and history-making is a testament to the gymnast who advocates for mental health for herself and others after her difficult withdrawal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
At that time, she experienced what the gymnastics world calls a «twisties», - when an athlete experiences a disconnect between mind and body in the air, which can lead to serious injuries
© Puhova Marina
