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The eyes of the world were on Simone Biles again. Three years after the “twisties” of Tokyo, the greatest gymnast of all time returned to continue her remarkable Olympics story.
Except, Biles does not just continue: the American creates and innovates, pushing the boundaries of her sport to new limits. The 27-year-old’s return to the Olympics was not just spectacular but groundbreaking, landing two of her signature skills. It was on the vault – the apparatus that led to her dramatic withdrawal from individual events in Tokyo – where Biles unleashed the Biles II, becoming the first woman to land the Yurchenko double-pike at the Olympics.
Biles was not just back but better than ever, even landing her historic Biles II with strapping on her left leg. An awkward landing in one of her practice routines left a slight limp and may have sparked some deja vu and concerns of further drama surrounding the American star. It was notable, perhaps, that Biles then did not commit to a further unique skill on her uneven bars routine, after submitting plans to do so on Friday.
But Biles picked herself up anyway to firmly establish herself as the favourite for gold in the majority of events in which she will be competing, dominating her session while setting the highest scores on the floor and vault that are unlikely to be beaten throughout the remainder of qualifying. As Biles made a perfect landing on her final routine, on the uneven bars, she broke into a huge smile: from the lows of Tokyo, this was a triumph in every sense.
Biles had nothing to prove after making her spectacular, and sudden, return to competition at last year’s world championships in Antwerp. But the Olympics are different, bringing a level of attention and scrutiny that is unlike anything within the sport’s usual parameters. In Paris, the stars were out to watch Biles, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Snoop Dogg among them, as rows of photographers directed their lenses on her as she emerged with a black jacket covering a dazzling sequinned costume – at the cost of $3,000 (£2,300) for each member of the USA team.
It is usually hard to know where to look during gymnastics qualification, with four athletes in motion at the same time across the different apparatus, as they rotate around the busy hall. But in Paris Bercy, everything stopped when Biles made her return on the balance beam, an entire Olympics focused on one individual and their ability to perform incomparably-difficult feats of artistry and athleticism across the 10cm-wide apparatus.
As Biles landed a double somersault and beamed to the crowd, however, it was clear that the most decorated gymnast had left the “twisties” behind. The distorting condition that disrupted her previous Games and led to a 732-day absence from major competitions was banished with a display of dazzling power.
In the floor routine, Biles landed one of her six named skills, the Biles II, featuring an explosive triple-twisting double-tuck. The centrepiece was the vault: as Biles set a score of 15.300 that was almost a full point ahead of her closest competition, American teammate Jade Carey. In the individual all-around standings, Biles finished almost three points clear of Sunisa Lee, her American teammate and defending all-around champion.
Now, it’s about Olympics history. At 27, Biles would become the oldest American women to win an Olympic gold in gymnastics, breaking the previous record by five years. She could also become the oldest woman to win an Olympic gold in gymnastics in 60 years, and add to her seven Olympic medals.
The star-studded American team, including two all-around champions in Biles and Lee, will first look to reclaim gold on Tuesday before the start of the individual events on Thursday. For Biles the journey to further greatness has resumed. Except, it never does, it only gets bigger and better.
