Brave Simone Biles reaffirms her status as ‘The GOAT-est of GOATS’ with golden Olympic comeback in front of fellow American legend Serena Williams, writes JONATHAN McEVOY
Simone Biles, 27, won the fifth gold medal of her Olympic career on Tuesday
The Gymnastics icon led USA to gold in the women’s artistic team all-around
Among the crowd at Bercy Arena in Paris was tennis legend Serena Williams
Pure theatre. Bercy Arena, not far from Notre-Dame, was as American as an election rally on Tuesday night. And the star of the show was given a stage on which to indulge her fans’ adulation.
All the rest of the competitors were done, and the announcer declared: ‘The green light goes on for the United States of America: Simone Biles.’ She was left to perform her floor exercise — and you had better stop and watch.
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The greatest gymnast in history did not disappoint, producing the highlight of the team final rather than merely getting the job done. And, so, this was her first gold medal in Paris, her eighth medal in an Olympic story of great highs and sad lows. Her team-mate Jordan Chiles, basking in their shared victory, hailed Biles as: ‘The GOAT-est of GOATS.’
So much emotion went into Biles’ manic celebrations and high-fiving. The mind went back three years to her torment then, when, aged 24 and at the peak of her genius, she was meant to sweep all before her, only to be brought low by the ‘twisties’, a psychological phenomenon that results in the sufferer losing a sense of direction mid-flight.
All those thoughts crowded in on Sunday night, at least on this viewer. Never mind her record of 29 — now 30 — Olympic and world gold medals, and nearly £15million of wealth through endorsements. Those riches are not a protector against emotion.
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Gymnastics icon Simone Biles, 27, won the fifth gold medal of her Olympic career on Tuesday
Biles led the United States of America to gold in the women’s artistic team all-around event
A stunning performance by Biles thrilled the crowd, as well as her fellow American athletes
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And as she was introduced — two-and-a-half hours before her final flourish — she failed to stop to wave to the crowd as the rituals demand. She had to be called back. She flashed a wide smile of embarrassment, but a happy one.
She would have seen the Stars and Stripes predominating in the stands. Serena Williams, a fellow royalty of American and women’s sport, sat up there.
As Biles prepared for her first foray she seemed so strangely fragile, taking deep breaths, her eyes surveying the scene under long lashes, as she prepared for the vault. There was strapping down her left calf to guard against the injury she picked up in qualifying on Sunday. It added to her sense of vulnerability.
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And to start on the vault of all cruelties. It was this apparatus that did so much to twist her mind. Its symptoms kept her out of serious competition for 729 days. She continues to spend time in therapy, even seeing her therapist on Tuesday morning, to get in the right frame of mind to purse the remarkable feats that are her trademark.
How would she fare once she set off for the vault on Tuesday night? Perhaps bullish Americans were not concerned, but that strikes me as a bit gung-ho.
She managed it brilliantly well, though on a less demanding vault than in qualifying, this one known as the Cheng. Still, it was enough to help the US to the top of the leaderboard, the position from which they never slipped.
Five-time gold medalist Nadia Comaneci (left) and tennis legend Serena Williams (right) were among the crowd at the Bercy Arena to witness Biles at her brilliant best
Biles pictured in mid-air during her routine on the balance beam on day four of Paris 2024
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Next up, the uneven bars and a decent performance if not an extravagant one. She had a few wobbles on the beam, on one occasion holding on by her toes.
At this point, British eyes were drawn to a scintillating display on the uneven bars by Becky Downie, who helped to lift Britain briefly into third place. It was poignant, for her brother Josh died suddenly three years ago. He would have been 28 on Tuesday.
Alas, Britain finished fourth, 0.234 of a point behind Brazil, with Italy taking silver.
We knew this by the time the stage was cleared for Simone Biles of Spring, Harris County, Texas — and of sporting legend.
Serena Williams
Simone Biles
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