19-year-old Biles entered the Rio Olympics already a gymnastics legend: four-time national all-around champion, three-time reigning world all-around champion, most decorated US female gymnast ever with 14 total world championship medals, and first African-American gymnast to win the world all-around title. A stumble during her balance beam performance denied her a fifth gold in that category, though she still managed to clinch bronze. The first was Alfred Jochim, who carried the flag during the 1936 Opening Ceremony.
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‘It’s an incredible honor to be selected as the flag bearer by my Team USA teammates, ‘ she said in a statement.
The last US gymnast to receive the honor was Al Jochim, who carried the flag in the Opening Ceremonies for the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Biles won gold in the team, all-around, vault and floor exercise events. She and team-mate Lia Neal made this years the first United States swim team to boast two black women in a rebuke of Americas often ugly history of segregated swimming pools and beaches: abandoned by white patrons or sprinkled with acid to keep black children out in the 1950s; or simply barring African-American entry outright, as the Valley Swim Club did in north-east Philadelphia in 2011.
One game after dethroning two-time defending Olympic champions Norway in the semifinal round, Russian Federation claimed gold for themselves by defeating France 22-19 in the women’s handball gold medal game.
USA gymnasts Laurie Hernandez, Simone Biles, Madison Kocian, Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman – will go on tour together when they return to the U.S.
Simone Biles was a shining star of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
As if winning five Olympic medals and meeting Zac Efron didn’t do enough to make a memorable Games for Simone Biles, she adds one more experience to her time in Rio.
Whenever the Olympics wind down, the question of who will be the flag bearer for the closing ceremonies is always brought up.
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For her part, Biles said,”Every single day that I’ve had here has been like a dream come true and it just keeps on getting better”.
