Simone Biles has no equal in gymnastics, and she proved it again in Paris by powering to another gold medal in the women’s all-around final on Thursday night.
Biles has her second gold of the Paris Olympics — she led the U.S. to victory in the team event on Tuesday — and her second all-around title after winning at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazilian Rebeca Andrade earned silver for the second straight Games and defending champion Sunisa Lee of the United States finished with bronze.
The U.S. has dominated the event, and an American woman has won the all-around title in six straight Olympics.
Biles got off to a sizzling start on the vault before a mistake on the uneven bars dropped her to third place, 0.267 behind the leader, Andrade, after two rotations. Biles surged back into first place on the balance beam with a score of 14.566, higher than any other gymnast on the apparatus.
With Lee enthusiastically cheering her on, Biles had the crowd eating out of her hands during an exhilarating floor routine that included two skills named after her. The crowd roared when she finished, and “U-S-A” chants rang out across Bercy Arena. Biles’ score on the apparatus was 15.066.
Biles finished with an total score of 59.131. Andrade, who was in the lead after two rotations, scored 57.932. Lee’s overall score was 56.465.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was on hand to deliver the medals.
Rina Kishi finished 11th for Japan in the 24-woman final, while Haruka Nakamura was 15th.