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The eyes of the world are once again on Simone Biles: three years after the “twists and turns” of Tokyo, the greatest gymnast of all time is back to continue her glorious Olympic story.
But Biles doesn’t just carry on. The American continues to create and innovate, pushing the boundaries of her sport to new limits. At 27, Biles’ Olympic return was as groundbreaking as it was spectacular, as she landed two of her signature moves. On vault, which was forced to make a dramatic withdrawal from the individual events in Tokyo, Biles unleashed Biles II, becoming the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike at the Olympics.
Not only was Biles back, she was in better shape than ever, landing the historic Biles II with the belt wrapped around her left foot. An awkward landing and slight limp during practice may have sparked a sense of deja vu and fears of more drama surrounding the American star. Perhaps notable, despite submitting plans on Friday, Biles did not subsequently attempt an even more unique move in her uneven bars routine.
Biles with her left leg bandaged (Getty Images)
But Biles bounced back anyway, cementing herself as the gold-medal favorite in almost every event she competed in, dominating the sessions and earning top scores on floor exercise and vault that are unlikely to be beaten in the remaining heats. She beamed after a perfect landing on the uneven bars, her final event. After her rock bottom in Tokyo, this was a victory in every sense of the word.
Biles hasn’t had to prove anything since her spectacular, surprise return to competition at last year’s world championships in Antwerp. The Olympics are different. They come with a level of attention and scrutiny that is unimaginable by the sport’s usual standards. In Paris, stars flocked to see Biles, including Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Snoop Dogg. Photographers trained on her as she emerged in a glittering black jacket and sequined outfit. Each member of the US team cost $3,000 (£2,300).
Simone Biles smiles as she arrives for the qualifying session (Getty Images)
At gymnastics preliminaries, four gymnasts are moving around a crowded arena at the same time on different apparatus, making it hard to know where to look. But at Paris-Bercy, everything stopped when Biles made her return on the balance beam, and the entire Olympics focused on one gymnast and her ability to demonstrate artistry and athleticism in performing uniquely difficult tricks on a 10-centimeter-wide apparatus.
But when Biles completed her double flip and smiled at the crowd, it was clear the most decorated gymnast had conquered “the twisties.” The contortions that held her back from competing at the last Olympics and caused her to miss 732 days of major competition were erased in a dizzying display of power.
On the floor exercise, Biles landed one of six designated moves, the Biles II, featuring an explosive triple-twisting double tuck. The highlight was the vault, where Biles scored 15.300 points, nearly one point ahead of her nearest rival, American teammate Jade Carey. In the all-around standings, Biles finished nearly three points ahead of American teammate and defending all-around winner Sunisa Li.
Simone Biles reacts after the vault competition (Getty Images)
Now, onto the Olympic history: At 27, Biles will become the oldest American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, beating the previous record by five years, and potentially the oldest woman in 60 years to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, adding another medal to her seven Olympic medals.
The star-studded U.S. team, which includes the two all-around winners in Biles and Li, will try to reclaim the gold medal on Tuesday before the individual competition begins on Thursday. For Biles, the journey to greater greatness has resumed. But it never ends. It can only get bigger and better.
