Simone Biles Shines Again: Secures Second All-Around Olympic Gold, Eight Years After Her First
n an intense moment during the Olympic all-around final, Simone Biles huddled with teammate Sunisa Lee and glanced at her husband, Jonathan Owens, in the stands. Biles, trailing Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour, seemed momentarily lost and frantic after two rotations on Thursday.
Following an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars, Biles closed her eyes and tried to refocus amidst a sea of cameras. She and Lee attempted to assess the damage but remained uncertain. Owens, from the stands, reassured her that she was doing fine, despite being in third place. Reflecting on the situation, Biles admitted, “I’ve just never been so stressed before.”
However, the 27-year-old, who has been redefining the sport of gymnastics, quickly regained her composure. Delivering a flawless beam routine and a groundbreaking floor exercise, Biles earned her second Olympic all-around gold medal. IOC president Thomas Bach presented her with the medal, with Lee standing beside her, proudly holding a bronze.
Eight years ago in Rio, Biles was a teenage prodigy. Today, she stands as an icon. With nine Olympic medals, six of them gold, Biles continues to set records and inspire. She wore a GOAT necklace, signifying her status as the Greatest of All Time, though she humbly describes herself as “Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, who loves to flip.”
Biles joins Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia as the third woman to win two Olympic all-around titles. She is also the oldest to achieve this feat since 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya won in 1952. Biles has transformed gymnastics from the days of “little girls in pretty boxes” to a sport where athletes like her are celebrated by stars, including the U.S. men’s basketball team and Kendall Jenner.
During the competition, Biles misjudged a transition on the uneven bars, leading to significant deductions. However, she bounced back with a wobble-free 14.566 on the balance beam, the highest score of the night. Andrade, who had been leading, stumbled on her beam routine, allowing Biles to gain the advantage heading into her signature event, the floor exercise.
Andrade needed a perfect floor routine to surpass Biles but stepped out of bounds, giving Biles the opportunity to secure the gold. Biles’ routine, featuring music from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, showcased the hardest tumbling ever performed by a woman in gymnastics.
After securing her gold, Biles embraced Lee and blew kisses to the cameras, celebrating her redemption three years after withdrawing from multiple finals in Tokyo to focus on her mental health. Biles and Lee, both Olympic champions, waved an American flag together in triumph.
Lee, who won gold in Tokyo while Biles was sidelined, earned another medal despite battling multiple kidney diseases over the past 15 months. “I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it because I didn’t think that I could,” Lee said.
Biles’ triumph in the all-around further cements her legacy, potentially making her the greatest American Olympian ever. Beyond her athletic achievements, she is a vocal advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and mental health awareness. She met with her therapist before winning gold in the team final and kept her regular appointment on Thursday.
Reflecting on her uneven bars routine, Biles said she was “praying to every single God out there” while trying to re-center herself. Moving past the challenges of Tokyo, she focuses on setting new standards in gymnastics and beyond. Biles remains a testament to resilience and excellence, inspiring countless others with her journey.
