Simone Biles led Team USA to a gold medal victory in the women’s artistic gymnastics team final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Tuesday evening (30 July). The U.S. scored a total of 171.296, comfortably ahead of silver medallists Italy (165.494). Brazil earned a historic bronze with a score of 164.497.
“It feels amazing. We love it, we’re excited,” Biles told Olympics.com afterward. “We got the job done.”
This win marks the fourth U.S. victory in the event, following titles at Atlanta 1996, London 2012, and Rio 2016. Italy’s only other women’s gymnastics team medal came in 1928, a silver during the inaugural event.
Three years ago, Team USA finished second in Tokyo, despite being the heavy favorites. Biles withdrew after a failed attempt at a two-and-a-half twisting vault, prioritizing her mental health as she dealt with the ‘twisties’—a condition where gymnasts lose spatial awareness.
This result motivated Biles and her fellow Tokyo returners, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey, alongside newcomer Hezly Rivera, who joined the squad for Paris.
“This is definitely our redemption tour,” said Biles at the recent U.S. Olympic trials. “I feel like we all have more to give… I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that we’re better athletes, we’re more mature, we’re smarter, we’re more consistent.”
The 27-year-old Biles anchored the opening rotation on the vault with a score of 14.900, giving the Americans a 44.100 to 42.666 lead over the People’s Republic of China.
“This means everything to me. I’m so honored to be on this team and to have been able to contribute today,” said Carey, the Tokyo 2020 floor champion. Despite dealing with an illness that affected her training, Carey scored 14.800 on vault, just behind Biles. “This week hasn’t exactly gone how I wanted it to, but I’m just grateful that I was able to come out tonight and get the job done and do exactly what this team needed from me.”
The team’s performance in Paris demonstrated their resilience and skill, cementing their legacy in women’s gymnastics.
Source: Olympics.Com
