Simone Biles won her fifth Olympic gold medal and inspired Team USA to victory in the women’s team gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The world’s most decorated gymnast pulled out of the Tokyo Games three years ago due to a mental block but returned for the first time since Rio in 2016 and was treated to a standing ovation from the likes of Serena Williams and Michael Phelps for her performance.
Her floor routine inspired gold for her and team-mates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.
It was silver for Italy and bronze for Brazil, while Great Britain agonisingly missed out on a podium spot.
Biles had originally returned for qualifying on Sunday, where she soared to the top of the standings.
And she made sure to carry on from where she left off on Tuesday night, delivering superb bars and beam routines.
The 🐐 is getting better with age.#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/iCY5lID7gE
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024
But it was on the floor where she got the biggest reception, bringing the arena to their feet at the end of it.
Her calf may have been bandaged, but it did not stop her from contributing to a team score of 171.296, comfortably beating Italy’s score of 165.494.
Biles still has four more finals to compete in and may have a few more winners’ medals to claim yet.
After the event, Team USA coach said: “Simone was glad it was over for today.
“The whole team hasn’t been easy, it’s had its ups and downs so to make it happen was just a relief.
“After Tokyo I’m so happy we’re here on the other side.”
