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See the Moment Simone Biles Clinched Gold in All-Around Final
The most decorated U.S. gymnast of all time is fulfilling her "redemption tour" by winning her sixth gold medal in the Olympic Games.
If there’s one thing the nation can agree on, it’s that Simone Biles is the G.O.A.T.
The most decorated U.S. gymnast of all time just won (another!) gold medal in the individual all-around in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, following up on her all-around win at the 2016 Rio Games. The crowd — and surely those watching from home — went wild during her stunning floor routine, beating Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade by a stunning 1.199-point margin, according to NBC News.
Andrade won silver, while Team USA’s Suni Lee gave a clean and sharp floor routine that helped her win the bronze.
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Biles’ record-breaking victory gives her a sixth gold medal and makes her the first American to win the individual all-around twice (all the more impressive considering she accomplished that feat in non-consecutive Olympics; she had to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Games after suffering a case of the "twisties"). It also marks the sixth consecutive all-around gold the U.S. in the Olympic Women’s event.
Was Biles a shoo-in for the gold?
Although Biles is well-established as the greatest U.S. gymnast and long thought to be the top contender at the Thursday, August 1, 2024, event, a surprisingly below-average performance on the uneven bars placed Biles in third behind Andrade and Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour.
The unexpected flub — in which Biles bent her legs when flying from one bar to another — jeopardized her top spot on the Olympic podium. However, she’d already beat Andrade by a hair and placed first on the vault, which made a comeback possible, much thanks to her signature Yurchenko double pike, aptly referred to as the Biles II, according to NBC News.
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Biles, keeping true to the 2024 Games being her “redemption tour,” nailed her balance beam routine, placing first with a total score of 14.566.
Biles had everything on the line (or on the floor) for the final rotation, demonstrating a dazzling routine to Taylor Swift’s “…Ready for It?”, certain to go down in Olympic history as helping seal an epic comeback.
It comes just two days after Biles and her teammates won gold in the Team Finals.
About Simone Biles’ Taylor Swift Song choice
Biles’ flawless floor routine paired with Taylor Swift’s 2017 song “…Ready for It?” from the album Redemption, further cementing a years-long bond between two of the world’s best.
The athlete previously used the tune for her June 28, 2024, floor routine in the Olympic Trials, sparking a public display of adoration between the two stars, as reported by TODAY.com. After seeing Biles’ act when NBC Olympics & Paralympics posted it on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Taylor Swift-ly responded.
“Watched this so many times and still unready,” the superstar singer posted the same day. “She’s ready for it tho.”
Swift used a handful of emojis in her statement, including clapping hands, a gold medal, the American flag, and a red heart.
In August 2021, following Biles’ incredible withdrawal from the Tokyo Games to focus on her mental health, the “Bad Blood” singer narrated a sweet hype video for Biles, according to TODAY.
“Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents,” Swift said in the video. “Her honesty [is] as beautiful as the perfection that has long been her signature. But don’t you see? It still is. She’s perfectly human. And that’s what makes it so easy to call her a hero. Simone Biles, back on the beam in Tokyo.”
The words of encouragement brought Biles to tears, as she said in the Aug. 3, 2021, post.
“How special,” said Biles. “I love you.”
Biles doubled down as a bona fide Swiftie during an exclusive July 1, 2024, interview with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb.
“I do love her,” said the now-six-time gold medalist. “She is so sweet.”
Simone will have a chance to rake in even more gold when she competes in the individual vault on Saturday, August 3, 2024, and then in the balance beam and floor finals the following Monday.
