Simone Biles leads USA to women’s gymnastics team gold at Paris Olympics

Simone Biles secured her fifth Olympic gold medal by leading the United States team to a strong victory in the women's gymnastics team final at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday afternoon.

The team of five women, including Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, led the US to victory in the Olympics with a total score of 171.296. They outperformed Italy, who came in second with a score of 165.494 and earned their first artistic gymnastics medal in almost a century. Brazil secured the bronze with a score of 164.497, marking their first team medal in history. Great Britain narrowly missed out on a podium finish by 0.234 points.

After coming in second place three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, the American team redeemed themselves by winning gold this time around. Simone Biles had to withdraw from the team final in Tokyo due to the "the twisties", but this time the team showed their dominance by ranking first in all four disciplines. This victory marks their third team gold in the last four Summer Games, solidifying their place as the best in the world of gymnastics.

"We all felt like we needed to show something after Tokyo," Biles said happily. "And we were able to do that tonight."

The American team at the Olympics was the most senior group ever assembled, dressed in sparkling red, white, and blue leotards. They gathered together in excitement when the final scores were displayed on the screen, even though the outcome had been clear for a while.

Biles won another gold medal, bringing her total to 38 medals from competing in both the Olympics and world championships. This victory solidifies her position as the most successful gymnast of all time.

A 27-year-old woman from the outskirts of Houston, who is the oldest American female on an Olympic gymnastics team since the 1950s, did not appear to be affected by the calf injury she had worsened during Sunday's qualifying round. The prominent figure of the entire Olympics was the standout performer as the American team secured their ninth consecutive medal in the team event and the fourth gold medal in Olympic history for the women's team.

The United States had a strong beginning on the vault event, with Chiles and Carey successfully completing their attempts. Biles decided to perform a high-scoring Cheng vault instead of the more difficult Yurchenko double pike. Despite playing it safe, Biles received a score of 14.900, contributing to the American team's 1.434-point lead over China in the early stages of the competition.

After that, they moved on to the uneven bars, which is Biles' least strongest event and the only final she did not qualify for. However, she performed one of her best routines ever and received a score of 14.366. Chiles also did well with a solid routine and scored 14.400. Lee, who won the individual all-around title at the last Olympics after Biles withdrew, outperformed them both with a score of 14.566, sparking chants of "U-S-A!" from the crowd in the upper section.

At that point, Biles and her team had achieved a significant 3.102 point advantage over Italy, which was almost equivalent to the gap between second and sixth place. This marked the beginning of a decisive victory.

Next, the American team went to the balance beam. Chiles had a minor mistake during her routine but finished strongly, earning a score of 12.733. Lee and Biles performed exceptionally well, scoring 14.600 and 14.366 respectively. With their combined efforts, the US team was able to increase their lead to 3.602 points after three rotations.

Just like in their past wins in London and Rio, the US team ended their final event with the floor exercise. Lee and Chiles both performed energetic and exciting routines, showcasing their powerful tumbling skills and strong landings. This not only maintained their momentum but also energized the audience even more.

When Biles got on the floor to finish the show, the lead was too big to overcome. But it was a really exciting moment at the Olympics. She danced to a song that started with Taylor Swift's Ready for It?. Biles went out of bounds twice but managed to nail both of her difficult tumbling passes. After she finished and got a score of 14.666, the crowd cheered loudly.

The entire US team was filled with joy as they successfully completed their routines with very few mistakes. Rivera, the youngest team member, also performed exceptionally well and will be awarded a gold medal even though she was not chosen to compete in the final on Tuesday.

The American team enjoyed their victory in front of an excited audience filled with famous faces like Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, and Spike Lee. Biles' spouse, Jonathan Owens, who plays in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, was also in the stands watching Tuesday's events after receiving permission to leave his team's training session.

The Russian team, who narrowly beat the US to win the gold in Tokyo, did not participate in the final on Sunday. It must be noted that their absence definitely affected the level of excitement in the competition.

Biles will have a chance to win more medals in the upcoming week, starting with the individual all-around final on Thursday. She is aiming to become only the third woman to win this prestigious prize twice, following Larisa Latynina and Věra Čáslavská. Biles also performed well in the qualifying rounds, ranking first in vault and floor exercise, and second on balance beam. She could potentially win five medals in Paris, matching her performance in Rio.

During the recent US Olympic trials, Biles expressed, "This is our chance to make things right. I believe we all have more to offer."

One unforgettable Tuesday afternoon in the 12th district, they finally found redemption.