But Biles, the three-time reigning world champion and heavy favorite for Olympic gold, steadied herself with the sturdiest – and icy-cool – balance beam routine, taking back the lead from Russia’s Aliya Mustafina and then never looking over her shoulder again, soaring to a historic gold medal two days after the USA women won their second straight team Olympic gold medal.
Advertisement
The 19-year-old not only confounded her opponents but appeared to do similar to the laws of gravity.
Comaneci, the 1976 Montreal gold medallist and first to earn a flawless 10.0 score, was like Biles coached by Romanian Martha Karolyi, who defected to the United States in 1981. The gymnast pulled out her signature move on the floor exercise.
“I’m sure she will be a big star”.
“It’s her gymnastics”, Boorman said, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. She’s such a happy, smiley girl with a positive attitude.
By the time Bob Costas shifted the home audience from gymnastics to swimming, the all-around competition had reached its halfway point – and frontrunner Simone Biles was, surprisingly, not at the top of the leaderboard.
Aly Raisman took silver, getting redemption after missing a medal on a technicality at the London games.
“Congratulations @Simone_Biles and @Aly_Raisman What a lovely success.”, tweeted Comaneci, who was among the spectators in the Rio Olympic Arena.
Biles invited Raisman up onto the floor to salute the crowd after the medals were decided. She has also won the 2013 and 2014 USOC National Coach of the Year Award for Gymnastics.
A three-time world champion in the all-around and a four-time US all-around champion, Biles has won 14 world medals (10 gold, two silver, two bronze), the most ever for a USA female gymnast.
Conquering the World Championships, she is credited for being the first woman to bag victories in three straight all around titles. Biles, 19, and her three siblings were born in OH, but their mother was addicted to drugs and they were adopted by their grandparents in Texas after they were placed in foster care.
The couple adopted the children after their mother was struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. “I’m just Simone Biles, but it’s wonderful to be recognized for all of this success for myself and for team US”, she added.
“A few years ago she said something like: ‘You are this bouncy kid, I am not sure about you.’ But here we are”.
Former Olympic women’s all-around gold medalist Nastia Liukin called Biles “the best gymnast who ever lived”.
“It means so much to me because they are the ones who brought me up”. Raisman came in fourth in the all-around in 2012.
For Raisman silver was like gold behind a teammate who is in another league.
“No one goes in thinking they can beat Simone”, Raismansaid.
But Biles dismissed talk of stardom.
“I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps”.
Advertisement
“I’m not a celebrity”. “I’m the first Simone Biles”. “I feel like I did my job tonight”. It’s awesome that she retweets my tweets.
