Simone’s other team members, 2012 Olympic all-around gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas, 2015 uneven bars world champion Madison Kocian, and 16-year-old gymnastics star Laurie Hernandez, did exceedingly well, helping United States of America capture the women’s team all-around gold medal.
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Hard to believe given Biles’ dominance in the sport the previous three years, but she had never won an individual gold medal in vault. And at only 19 years old, it’s likely she will only get better!
“I knew that the gold was out of the question so the silver for me genuinely feels like the gold medal”, Raisman said, “so I was so happy and so proud”. “It means a lot to me”.
Many have taken to Twitter to celebrate the historic gold medals, including Simone herself. People don’t go in thinking they can beat Usain Bolt either. Biles bested other competitors in the Women’s Individual All Around gymnastics competition.
Manuel became the first African-American female swimmer to take gold in an individual event when she surged home in the final half of the second lap to finish in a time of 52:70. Paseka put up a 15.266 on her Cheng compared to Biles’ 16.033.
When the standings after the second rotation flashed and Biles had slipped behind Russia’s Aliya Mustafina, the first time she had trailed in a competition – any competition – in nearly three years, it would have been easy to wonder if a small crack was beginning to show.
The Russian scored low to allow Raisman, the Olympic floor champion, to pull ahead with a flawless routine, finishing in tears after four near-flawless routines.
And when I see how dedicated she is, it humbles me. “For me, the most special was my first, from Nadia, and the last, from Simone”. Her score of 15.833 wasn’t enough to best Russia’s Aliya Mustafina, who earned 15.900.
“I think if you ask any of the all-arounders that won the gold medal”, Biles said, “it’s everything they dreamed of since they were a little girl”.
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For Biles, the medal is validation of something most of the world already knew and for Raisman, the medal is redemption from London, where a tie-breaker left her off the podium.
