Simone Biles won her fifth Olympic gold medal after leading the United States to a convincing victory in the women’s gymnastics team final at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
The five-person team of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera returned the U.S. to the top of the Olympic podium in dominant fashion after a combined score of 171.296, more than 5.802 points ahead of Italy (165.494), who earned its first artistic gymnastics medal in 96 years. Brazil took bronze (164.497), keeping Great Britain off the podium by a mere 0.234 points.
Three years after settling for a silver medal as favorites at the Tokyo Olympics when Biles withdrew from the team final after appearing only on vault, the Americans reclaimed their place atop the sport’s world rankings with a commanding performance in all four disciplines, winning team gold for the third time in the last four Summer Games.
The American team, dressed in sequined red, white and blue leotards that glittered at the back of the packed arena, celebrated en masse as the final score appeared on the scoreboard, even though the outcome had long been beyond doubt.
Biles earned her 38th career medal between the Olympics and the world championships, breaking her record as the most decorated gymnast in history.
The 27-year-old from the Houston suburbs, the oldest American woman to make an Olympic gymnastics team since the 1950s, showed no signs of the calf injury she aggravated during Sunday’s qualifying session. The controversial face of the entire Olympics was the star of the show as the Americans claimed their ninth consecutive team medal and the fourth female team gold in Olympic history.
The U.S. started well on vault, with Chiles (14.000) and Carey (14.800) making good on their attempts before Biles scored a high-scoring Cheng after deciding not to perform the Yurchenko double pike jump, the most difficult jump currently attempted by a female gymnast in competition. Even playing it safe, Biles’ score of 14.900 helped the Americans open an early 1,434-point lead over second-place China.
Next up was the uneven bars, Biles’ weakest event and the only final she failed to qualify for. But the American star produced one of the better routines of her career with a score of 14.366. Chiles (14.400) did her part with a solid set, while Lee, the individual all-around champion at the last Olympics after Biles withdrew, bested them both with a score of 14.566, prompting chants of “USA!” from the top mezzanine.
By then Biles and Co had a gaping 3,102-point lead over Italy, almost the same margin between second and sixth. The rout had begun.
The Americans next moved to the beam, where Chiles fell on her front pike before closing strongly for a score of 12.733. Lee (14.600) and Biles (14.366) did more than enough to catch their teammate, as the U.S. managed to extend its lead to 3.602 points after three rotations.
Just like their previous team golds in London and Rio, the U.S. team’s final event was the floor exercise. Both Lee (13.533) and Chiles (13.966) delivered bold, upbeat routines full of power tumbling and solid landings, keeping the momentum going and further exciting the crowd.
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By the time Biles took the stage to close the show, the lead was insurmountable. Still, it was as much of a lean-in moment as this Olympics has ever seen. Performing to a soundtrack that opens with Taylor Swift’s Ready for It?, Biles stepped out of the bounce twice but nailed both of her tumbling passes in a routine filled with difficult ones. When it was over and her score of 14.666 was posted, the crowd erupted in applause.
All five members of the U.S. team beamed from ear to ear as they performed largely flawless routines, including Rivera, the youngest member of the team, who will also take home a gold medal despite the fact that I was not selected for Tuesday’s final.
The U.S. team celebrated its victory in front of a lively crowd of celebrities, including Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and Spike Lee. Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, an NFL player for the Chicago Bears, also watched the action from the stands on Tuesday after being granted leave from his team’s training camp.
The Russian team, which defeated the US in the battle for gold in Tokyo, was not entered for the final on Sunday.
At the U.S. Olympic Trials last month, Biles said, “This is definitely our redemption tour. I feel like we all have more to offer.”
On a memorable Tuesday afternoon in the 12th arrondissement, their reconciliation was completed.