But she’s also trying to apologize for her perceived sour attitude and simultaneously defend her actions.
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So this is what it’s like to finally see Simone Biles unplugged.
BRITAIN’S BREAKTHROUGH: During the first 116 years of the Olympics, Great Britain won exactly zero gold medals in gymnastics of any variety. That ties her with teammate Aly Raisman for the most gold medals won by a USA women’s gymnast, and it’s the most ever for an American female gymnast in a single Olympics.
-Whitlock’s gold was his second of the day after winning the floor exercise final.
India’s Dipa Karmakar had seemed poised to win her country’s first medal of the Rio Games, after improving on an initial vault score of 14.866 with a 15.266 for an average of 15.066.
Biles now has 17 world or Olympic medals and she is only 19.
So Biles went home and worked.
After that competition, she vowed to improve her second vault and has been even more consistent on her second vault, a Cheng, as she is on her first, an Amanar. And I will always support them and respect them in everything they do. And I’ve been through a lot.
Biles nailed it, thrusting her arms in the air, her beaming grin complementing her sparkling red leotard and shimmering eyeliner. She persisted through the routine, regaining her rhythm, and stuck her dismount, a double layout, with just a small step on her landing. Her third gold at these Games. “I didn’t go so fast but I’m so happy I won”.
Team U.S.A.is having a golden Olympics. Next up for her are the finals in balance beam on Monday and floor on Tuesday. Against the bullying on social media that’s left her staring down at her phone in disbelief too many times to count. Or teammate Laurie Hernandez “will say something”.
“Sometimes if I’m laying in bed (and think about it), I’m impressed with myself”, Biles said. I never want anyone to take it as I was jealous or I wanted attention. You really won.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I did’. It was a good sign that she could totally crush it in the final. She scored 15.9 on her first vault but was annoyed that she took a hop on the landing. The 16-year-old has never performed at a major worldwide competition before, but has shown so far that she can handle the Olympic spotlight. She has the best qualifying scores in both events. Oksana Chusovitina and Dipa Karmakar tried an incredibly hard vault and landed it with their rears on the mat. Despite that, Paseka scored over six tenths less than Biles on each vault. It’s a roundoff onto the board and a half-twist onto the table, followed by a front layout with a twist.
The event is composed of two parts – Biles scored 15.900 on her first and 16.033 on her second for a combined score of 15.9666, making her the clear victor, despite the fact that her opponents attempted more complicated routines. Paseka was the only other gymnast to top 15 on each of her vaults.
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The sprinter-turned-showman’s swan song in the Olympic 100 meters Sunday night was a no-doubter – a pedestrian-by-his-standards 9.81-second sprint down the straightaway, but not so slow that he couldn’t take time to point at his own chest with his thumb a step before he crossed the finish line. And swipe again. She would put the phone away for a few moments, standing there in silent thought with a heavy look upon her face, then bring it back out again.
