No American, male or female, has more period.
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As Raisman told NBC in June, her parents did not place any pressure on her as she trained for a shot at her second Olympics.
“This was absolutely redemption, not only for me but for the team as well”, Leyva said.
It wasn’t the first time the world had been blown away by Simone Biles’ floor routine, having had a taste of her gravity-defying talent in the all-around competition, which also saw Simone snagging the highest score and Raisman following with silver.
It’s understandable that Biles can’t find the words to describe how dominant she’s been. Eight days. Five medals.
Yet Biles has defied that. “Thanks to everyone who believed in me and supported me”, Raisman tweeted out after she got the silver medal in the individual all-around event. “She’s in her own level”. She doesn’t tumble so much as fly, her 4-foot-8 frame soaring over the white mat as if she was trying to touch the video board three stories above.
Biles and Efron have had a series of friendly exchanges on Twitter since her “Today” appearance.
Few athletes came into Rio with weightier expectations or a brighter spotlight.
Buoyant in a glittery red, white and blue leotard, Biles spent 90 seconds showcasing her talent. The audience has appreciated her all week. She had performed the best routine she could, and it was the greatest she had looked so far.
That effortless brilliance was on display again in Rio during her medal-winning performance. Team Coordinator Marta Karolyi (R) hugs Gabrielle Douglas (USA) of USA (Gabby Douglas), Alexandra Raisman (USA) of USA (Aly Raisman), Laurie Hernandez (USA) of USA, Simone Biles (USA) of USA and Madison Kocian (USA) of USA during the women’s qualifications.
And when she was asked about appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated with Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky, her eyes widened.
“Never say never”, she said.
That she most certainly does.
That mistake elevated Dutchwoman Sanne Wevers to the most unexpected of victories and left Biles to rue her slipped footing.
She has claimed a team gold, as well as individual golds in the all-around and vault.
It was expected that Biles would do exceptionally well in floor exercise; Biles is already a three-time world champion in the event. Biles is the first American woman to accomplish the feat.
The Soviet Union’s Larisa Latynina (Melbourne 1956), Hungary’s Agnes Keleti (Melbourne 1956), Czech Vera Caslavska (Mexico City 1968) and Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo (Los Angeles 1984) were the only other women to have four golds at a single Games. She rushed off the floor to her coach and waited for the floor to flash. She’d like to go have a normal life for a bit, at least as normal as it can be when she gets back to suburban Houston.
The Tokyo Games may fit in there, they may not.
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“It’s very insane. To think what I’ve done, its been an fantastic experience and I don’t think I could be more proud of myself”, she said. “I brought home five medals and I medaled in every single thing that I did. I’m excited it’s over but kind of sad too”.
