The Women’s Gymnastics Final Was Absolutely Heart-Pounding
No Need For Further Proof
Simone Biles Crushes Doubt In Thrilling Final
This is a section of Slate's coverage of the 2024 Olympics. For more information, click on the following link.
Hey guys, I predicted this might happen, and for a short moment during the women's all-around gymnastics final in Paris' Bercy Arena, it almost did: Simone Biles, the best gymnast in the sport's history, was briefly in second place. I was right: Brazil's Rebeca Andrade was close behind Biles! But after a competition with many unexpected moments, Biles ended up at the top of the podium, solidifying her position as the most accomplished American Olympic gymnast ever.
At the age of 27, Biles has achieved a remarkable feat by winning a gold medal in the gymnastics all-around competition. She has become the oldest female individual to accomplish this since Maria Gorokhovskaya did it in 1952 at the age of 30. It's incredible to see how gymnastics routines have advanced over the years, making past performances look like simple child's play. Biles' success is not just a one-time occurrence; nowadays, elite gymnasts are able to compete at a high level for much longer than before. Being 27 years old is hardly considered "old" in this sport, unless you're comparing it to a perspective like Andrew Tate's.
The competition began with Simone Biles having a big lead. Although Andrade performed an amazing Cheng vault - she is truly the best at that specific vault - the Cheng's difficulty score of 5.6 was no match for the Biles 2, also known as the Yurchenko double pike, which has a difficulty score of 6.4. Biles herself has admitted to being afraid she might die every time she performs this skill. When Biles successfully landed the vault, with only a large step back, she solidified her lead in the competition. However, her performance on the uneven bars was a close call, and she nearly lost her lead.
Biles started the second round with a lead of over half a point, but unfortunately lost it after a mistake on the high-to-low-bar transition. Despite this, she managed to save herself with skill and experience, avoiding a fall but still receiving some deductions. Even though she scored a respectable 13.733, her lead disappeared due to Andrade's strong performance. Additionally, Nemour's impressive routine pushed Biles down to third place for a moment. It was a tense moment, but Biles showed resilience and determination in the face of tough competition.
In the meantime! The competition for the gold medal was not the only thing that caught my attention and made me think about discussing with my doctor the hypertension medication that was being promoted during breaks. Between Nemour and Italy’s talented gymnast Alice D’Amato, our very own Suni Lee, who wasn't even expected to compete that day, was neck and neck for the bronze medal after an impressive vault and a remarkable routine on the uneven bars. (Just a year ago, Lee was diagnosed with two chronic kidney diseases and was told she may never be able to participate in gymnastics again.)
What a great way to calm the nerves of a world that is feeling anxious than with the beloved balance beam event. When I saw Biles successfully complete the mount that she had been struggling with, I knew she would be fine. Her only noticeable mistakes were a slight wobble after the side aerial in the team finals, and a remarkable save during her difficult wolf turn, which most people probably didn't even notice because wolf turns can look strange even when done correctly.
Now the competition was in Biles' control once more. Could Andrade help her out? No, she couldn't! Her beam routine was fantastic, but not as challenging, earning a score of 14.133 compared to Biles' 14.566. On the other hand, would any of the contenders for the bronze medal give Lee some extra points? No, they wouldn't; it was Lee who made several small mistakes and had issues during her beam routine.
By this time, my heart rate had returned to normal because I was confident that despite Biles' mistake on the uneven bars, she was still in control of the competition. The final event was the floor exercise, where Biles excels with her difficult routines that no other gymnast can match. While anything can happen in gymnastics, such as Brazil's Flavia Saraiva falling out of bounds during her routine, Biles could have made mistakes on all her tumbling passes and still won the gold medal. Biles is so skilled on the floor, with impeccable fundamentals, unmatched height, and near-perfect execution in the air, that her only notable mistake is sometimes overdoing her tumbling.
After my experience in Tokyo, I no longer take things for granted. Like many of you, I found it extremely difficult to watch this competition. Even though I know that she is already considered the greatest in her sport, I also know that Biles would not have returned to the Olympics if she did not have the desire to win. I really wanted her to achieve that redemption she has been seeking for three years, but I also understood that the pressure from the world could be overwhelming for her. Despite consistently high scores throughout the 2024 quadrennial, Biles needed a relatively low score to secure victory after Andrade performed a beautiful but less challenging routine. It was important for me, and for everyone watching, to stay calm and not let my emotions get the best of me.
Perhaps I did, perhaps I didn't! Maybe I caused a small stir in my home when Biles nailed her floor routine, proving she was truly deserving of all the praise. By the end of the floor rotation, Biles was standing at the top of the podium, with D'Amato and Nemour providing some support. Lee also managed to climb up the ranks with a stunning floor routine, her first international competition since Tokyo.
Featuring Biles and Lee on either side of Andrade (the three women who won overall medals are back on the podium together for the first time ever!), this may not have been the podium that some old-fashioned international fans were expecting. Many people in the online gymnastics community were hoping for Simone Biles to fail, but that did not happen. Each of these amazing athletes earned their spot on the podium. Biles' greatness does not need to be proven with complicated math - Andrade in 2024 was the only real competition she has faced in over ten years. Despite Andrade's incredible performance, Biles' mistakes were minor enough to keep her in first place in the end.
The U.S. gymnastics team has had a great Olympics so far, and now all that's left are the event finals. We all get a full day to relax before these exciting finals take place. This may be the last time we see Biles or Andrade compete against each other, or compete at all. Let's appreciate this weekend of amazing performances, and hope we can handle the excitement without our blood pressure going through the roof.
