Simone Biles sprung to the top of the podium in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around final at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, winning a gold medal and further cementing her place in sporting history.
Biles is the first American to nab two Olympic all-around titles and just the third woman ever to do so — the feat was last achieved by Věra Čáslavská of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Biles’ first individual all-around gold came in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Biles finished with 59.131 points after coming back from a mistake on the bars to ace the beam and floor routines. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil took silver with 57.932 points, and American teammate Sunisa Lee captured the bronze with 56.465 points.
Biles and Lee were already gold medalists in Paris, with Team USA having won the women’s team final Tuesday. That win also gave Biles her eighth Olympic gold medal, making her the most decorated U.S. gymnast of all time.
Andrade had won the world championships in 2022, followed by Biles taking gold in 2023. The 25-year-old Brazilian gymnast was widely seen as the only competitor who could potentially best Biles in Paris.
At 27, Biles is the oldest Olympic gymnast to win the all-around gold since the Soviet Union’s Maria Gorokhovskaya won in 1952 at age 30.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.