Simone Biles and Suni Lee headed off fierce competition during the vault round of the women’s gymnastics all-around final on Thursday.
Simone Biles is a gold medalist in the women's artistic gymnastics all-around event once again after capturing the gold in Paris on Thursday despite a tough competition and further cementing her title as the Greatest Of All Time.
Behind a historic vault rotation, Biles won back gold medal she last earned in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Her teammate, Suni Lee, finished third, good enough for the bronze as she followed up gold medal from Tokyo.
Biles started off strong in the first rotation drilling a Yurchenko double pike on the vault for a score of 15.766. It was the best vault score of any competitor and deservedly so for its difficulty.
But it was a close competition throughout between Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
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Biles made her first big mistake of the Olympics in the second rotation on the uneven bars. She botched a transition from the upper bar to the lower bar, a miscue that messed with her momentum and forced her to muscle her way back into her routine.
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Biles was visibly annoyed as she made her way off the podium. Her score of 13.733 dropped her behind Andrade through two rotations.
The uneven bars was wear Lee, the 2020 all-around gold medalist, dominated with a 14.866, the highest score of all the competitors
A couple of tiny slip-ups on the third rotation in the balance beam didn’t seem to hurt Biles as she close in on Andrade. Biles scored a 14.566 and Andrade a 14.133, giving Biles the lead back, but ever so narrowly. Only 0.166 points separated the two competitors chasing gold as they went into the floor exercise, the fourth and final routine.
She finished up the final rotation on the floor with a score of 15.066. She was the last gymnast of the night to compete, a fitting end to a gold-medal performance.
This was the first time two all-around women champions competed against each other in an all-around competition, but Biles and Lee did just that, and both Golden Girls shined bright.
If you missed the competition or want to see it again, it will reair in primetime on NBC Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and here at this link.
Simone makes history
With Simone Biles' win in the all-around, she now has nine total Olympic medals, including six gold, one silver, and two bronze.
Biles now has the most gold medals by any American gymnast (man or woman) in history and is the fifth American woman in any sport to have six gold medals.
Biles is the oldest women's all-around gold medalist at age 27 since 1952.
The last time two American women were on the all-around podium was 2016 when Biles and Aly Raisman both medaled.
Raisman posted her congratulations to Biles and Lee on social media.
How did the top three gymnasts finish in the all around?
- Simone Biles - Gold - 59.131
- Rebeca Andrade - Silver - 57.932
- Suni Lee - Bronze - 56.465
How did Simone Biles do in the women's all around?
- Vault: 15.766 (highest score)
- Uneven bars: 13.733
- Balance beam: 14.566
- Floor exercise: 15.066
- Total score: 59.131
How did Suni Lee do in the women's all around?
- Vault: 13.933
- Uneven bars: 14.866
- Balance beam: 14.000
- Floor exercise: 13.666
- Total score: 56.465
What events will the USA gymnasts compete in?
Here is the finals schedule for the U.S. women's gymnastics athlete based on qualifications:
- Thursday, Aug. 1 - Simone Biles and Suni Lee qualified for the all-around event.
- Saturday, Aug. 3 - Simone Biles and Jade Carey qualified for the vault event.
- Sunday, Aug. 4 - Suni Lee qualified for the uneven bars.
- Monday, Aug. 5 - Simone Biles and Suni Lee qualified for the balance beam finals.
- Monday, Aug. 5 - Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles qualified for the floor exercise finals.
When does Simone Biles compete next at the Olympics?
Simone Biles will compete next in the women's individual vault event on Saturday, August 3 at 10:20 a.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
When are the remaining women's artistic gymnastics events?
Aug. 3 - Women's vault final: The women's vault final begins at 10:20 a.m. ET/7:20 a.m. PT on Saturday, Aug. 3 on NBC and Peacock. The event will air live on NBC and Peacock.
Aug. 4 - Women's uneven bar final: The women's uneven bars final begins at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT on Sunday, Aug 4 on NBC and Peacock.
Aug. 5 - Women's balance beam finals: The women's balance beam finals begins at 6:36 a.m. ET/3:36 a.m. PT on Monday, Aug. 5. The event will air on E! and Peacock.
Aug. 5 - Women's floor exercise finals: The women's floor exercise final begins at 8:20 a.m. ET/5:20 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5. The event will air on NBC and Peacock.
What TV channel is the women's gymnastics event on?
Most of the gymnastics events will air live on NBC and Peacock. Some will also air on E!. If you miss the live airing of the event, most, if not all, will reair each night in Primetime in Paris on NBC starting at 8 p.m. ET, except Sundays when coverage starts at 7 p.m.
Here are Team USA women's gymnastics remaining events
- Vault: Simone Biles and Jade Carey
- Uneven bars: Suni Lee
- Balance beam: Simone Biles and Suni Lee
- Floor exercise: Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles
