OLYMPIC GAMES | GYMNASTICS

Olympic gold for Simone Biles sets new record: how many more can she win at Paris 2024?

Biles returned in fine style for Paris 2024 to continue building her legacy and show why she is arguably the best gymnast in history.

Estados Unidos
LIONEL BONAVENTUREAFP

Simone Biles added another gold to her illustrious Olympic history, winning first place in artistic gymnastics by teams alongside Sunisa Lee, Hezly Rivera, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey. Team USA secured the top spot on the podium with a total score of 171.296, surpassing Italy, which took silver with 165.494, and Brazil, which claimed bronze with 164.497.

Who is the most decorated US gymnast?

The United States celebrated their gold medal after Biles’ floor exercise score, which was the highest of the rotation at 14.666, was revealed. With this result, Simone achieved her fifth Olympic gold and her eighth medal overall, making her the most decorated gymnast of all time in the Olympic Games.

So far, Biles has five gold medals, one silver, and two bronzes in the Olympics, and 27 medals in World Championships, with 23 golds, four silvers, and three bronzes. This brings her total to 38 medals between both competitions. One former president couldn’t wait to share his appreciation.

How many more medals can Biles win at Paris 2024?

Biles returned to Olympic competition after her withdrawal from Tokyo 2020 to care for her mental health due to the ‘twisties’ she was experiencing. The 27-year old explained that these mental blocks prevented her from having complete control over her body while performing her routines, many of which are dangerous and have fine margins.

Paris 2024 has emerged as the perfect stage for Biles to continue adding to her medal tally and demonstrating why she is the most decorated gymnast in the history of the discipline. Biles still has four more golds to compete for in this edition. On August 1, she will compete in the all-around final, on August 3 in the vault, on August 4 in the uneven bars, and she will conclude on Monday with the floor exercise and balance beam.

Who is the most decorated female gymnast at the Olympic Games?

Nine female gymnasts have achieved the remarkable feat of winning at least eight medals at the Olympic Games: Larisa Latynina (18), Věra Čáslavská (11), Ágnes Keleti (10), Polina Astakhova (10), Nadia Comăneci (9), Ludmilla Tourischeva (9), Margit Korondi (8), Sofia Muratova (8), and now Simone Biles (8).

Latynina, who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympics, holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by a female athlete, with a total of 18. She secured six medals in each of her Olympic appearances, including individual all-around titles in 1956 and 1960. Her teammate, Polina Astakhova, also represented the Soviet Union during the same years, winning 10 medals in total, with golds in the uneven bars in 1960 and 1964. Sofia Muratova, another teammate, won eight medals across the 1956 and 1960 Olympics.

Tourischeva, also competing for the Soviet Union, earned nine medals over three Olympics (1968, 1972, and 1976), winning four medals in both 1972 and 1976, and one in 1968. Representing Hungary, Keleti and Korondi both competed in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. Keleti amassed 10 medals, including two golds on floor exercise, while Korondi secured eight medals.

Now Biles will look to climb higher on the all-time list, potentially going second to Latynina with a haul of 12 medals by the time the gymastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics comes to a close.

Most viewed

More news