Until she first performed “The Biles” in 2013, it had never been tried in competition before. Her first go on the vault ended with a bit of a hop on her landing, earning her a 15.9. And she’s well on her way to scoring all *five* of the gold medals she wants to win in Rio.
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Whitlock became the first gymnast from Great Britain to win Olympic gold by edging Brazils Diego Hypolito in the mens floor exercise final.
The 19-year-old gymnast, meanwhile, opened with an Amanar and moved to the Cheng for her second turn, according to the Times.
The gold medal placed around her neck on Thursday could help to lift it. Forget the hype. Simone Biles is immune to all of it. I knew if I did what I had done in training, I would be good.
Alex Naddour of the USA also made a bit of history in the men’s pommel horse final, taking the bronze medal to become the first American to medal in the event at the Olympics since Peter Vidmar and Tim Daggett claimed gold and bronze in 1984 in Los Angeles.
But rather than being crushed by the hype, Biles is such a free spirit that she simply soared higher and higher on Thursday with a dazzling floor performance that will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to be in the Rio Olympic Arena.
It’s estimated she earns $2 million dollars a year (£1.5 million pounds) but she could earn more after her success at the Rio Olympics. After clinching gold in the team and the all-around events, she added to her gilded collection with a score of 15.966.
-American Madison Kocian won silver on the uneven bars, with Russia’s Aliya Mustafina taking gold and Germany’s Sophie Scheder winning bronze. Nevertheless, she was showered with love as a tribute video of her career played on the jumbo screen. “She’s one of my role models, and I don’t think there’s anyone I’d rather share the podium with”.
Douglas also scored high enough on the uneven bars to make the individual finals Saturday.
“Jeez, I’ve been trying to stay off the internet because it has just been so much negativity, and I’m like, ‘What?’ ” Douglas said. Asked how she maintained her focus despite the distractions of 10,000 athletes and hundreds of thousands of fans, the Virginia Beach native said, “You kind of just stay in your own bubble”. “She really is one of those girls who combines very well the God-given great talent with discipline and hard work”.
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“She’s always been headstrong”, her mom, a retired nurse, told Texas Monthly magazine.
