Olympics gymnastics latest: Simone Biles wins gold at all-around finals

PARIS — Simone Biles held off Brazil's Rebeca Andrade for all-around Olympics gymnastics gold. At 27, she's the oldest Olympic women's gymnastics champ since 1952.

Simone on the GOAT necklace: Best of both worlds

Simone Biles had the GOAT necklace ready, just in case the women's all-around competition went well Thursday night.

Spoiler alert: It did.

And when she showed the pendant of a goat, a nod to the Greatest Of All Time acronym, Biles knew exactly what the reaction would be.

''My GOAT necklace is just kind of an ode, because the people love it and some people hate it,'' she said. ''So, it's like the best of both worlds. I was like, ‘OK, if it goes well, we'll wear the GOAT necklace.' I know people will go crazy over it but at the end of the day it is crazy that I am in the conversation of ‘Greatest of all athletes' because I just still think, ‘I'm Simone Biles from Spring, Texas who loves to flip.'''

Biles: ‘I don't want to compete with Rebeca no more'

''I don't want to compete with Rebeca no more. I'm tired. Like, she's way too close. I've never had an athlete that close.''

Biles says she was stressed after her bars routine

After her mistake during her bars routine, Biles said she ''was probably praying to every single God out there trying to refocus and recenter myself because that's not the bars that I had been training.''

She added: ''I'm not the best bar swinger like Suni or Kaylia, but I can still swing some bars.'' Biles also said she saw her mental threrapist at 7 a.m. this morning as she got ready for her final.

Sunisa Lee's bronze is historic, too

Simone's message to the US Olympic basketball team: ‘Good luck!'

Moments after winning her second Olympic women's all-around gold medal, Simone Biles went over and yelled toward a group of her newest fans.

''Good luck!'' she yelled, as she waved from the floor of the arena to where Kevin Durant and others from the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team was sitting.

And that squad was blown away.

''America!'' U.S. guard Stephen Curry yelled, and fellow guard Devin Booker said seeing Biles up close was ''one of the coolest things ever.''

Just pure joy for Biles. No cries. A big, big smile when she received her gold medal. She looked serious, with a hand on her heart, when the American anthem reverberated in the venue. And big smiles again, including while posing for a podium selfie with Lee and Andrade.

The G.O.A.T. is dressed for the occasion

Biles is wearing a silver goat necklace, holding it up for cameras to see.

KD and Co. are hyped up at for another American gold

American fans are on the verge of apoplexy.

As Biles rushed to the center of the mat with Sunisa Lee to celebrate with an American flag, phones are all out — including Kevin Durant and several of his Team USA teammates — nobody wants to miss a single moment of that historic scene.

Simone's gold, by the numbers

Some numbers on Simone Biles' Olympic dominance ...

1. 6: Her new total of Olympic golds, third-most in women's gymnastics history. Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union won nine and Czechoslovakia's Vera Caslavska won seven.

2. 9: Her new total of Olympic medals, the seventh woman with at least that many.

4. $75,000: The number of dollars in bonus money she's won from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee so far in these Paris Games. The Americans pay $37,500 for gold medals.

Simone makes it 6 straight for the U.S. women

The U.S. was the first nation to win five straight women's all-around Olympic gold medals when Sunisa Lee prevailed at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Make it six.

Simone Biles is now the third woman to win two Olympic all-around titles. Lee won in Tokyo, Biles at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Gabby Douglas at London in 2012, Nastia Liukin at Beijing in 2008 and Carly Patterson at Athens in 2004.

Andrade's score on floor: 14.033. Simone needs 13.867 for gold

Here we go. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade finished the all-around competition with a score of 57.932.

That means Simone Biles, the final competitor, needs a 13.867 on the floor for gold.

In a couple minutes, we'll know the final answer.

We have a rarity: A close all-around for Simone, for now

(That's a lot in gymnastics.)

Her lead over Brazil's Rebeca Andrade going into the fourth and final rotation of all-around at the Paris Games on Thursday night: 0.166 points.

To the floor we go, to decide gold.

Biles' beam score: 14.566, and floor will decide gold

A couple of tiny slip-ups didn't seem to hurt Biles on the beam as she tries to close in on Andrade.

Translation: it's likely going to be very close going into the floor exercise, which will decide gold.

Upset watch at women's gymnastics

Andrade is in the lead midway through the all-around final.

Andrade's uneven bars routine was a model of fluidity while Biles botched a transition that dropped her to third overall, 0.267 points behind Andrade.

Algerian specialist Kaylia Nemour, as expected, posted the best score on bars, a massive 15.533 that pushed her past Biles for all-around. She trails Andrade by just 0.200 points, but she's unlikely to keep pace on the remaining apparatuses.

Simone Biles has a fight on her hands for the Olympic all-around title.

Biles trails Brazil's Rebeca Andrade by 0.267 through two rotations. The duo next heads to the balance beam, where Biles was second during qualifying and Andrade third.

Biles will be the first gymnast up during the rotation, with Andrade going last.

The two will finish the night on floor exercise, where the difficulty of Biles' routine gives her a significant advantage. If Biles can stay on the beam, she would be well positioned to pass Andrade after floor.

Biles loses the lead after bars miscue

She botched a transition from the upper bar to the lower bar, a miscue that messed with her momentum and forced her to muscle her way back into her routine.

Biles was visibly annoyed as she made her way off the podium.

Her score of 13.733 dropped her behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade through two rotations.

The US basketball team shows up to see Simone

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and other members of the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team are in Paris to watch Simone Biles in the women's all-around competition.

The basketball team will be in the arena where gymnastics is being held starting next week, when the quarterfinals of their Olympic tournament take place on Tuesday.

Lee hits the mat warming up on uneven bars

Lee faceplanted during her warmup on uneven bars. It's the second time she's done that this week, but it hasn't really hampered her. She was as good as ever there in qualifying when it counted.

Don't expect Biles to try her new skill on bars

Biles submitted a unique skill on uneven bars to the International Gymnastics Federation last week.

Biles is only expected to do the move, which requires her to do a 540-degree turn while holding a handstand on the lower bar, if she makes the uneven bars final. She is currently the first alternate after qualifying ninth on the event.

Biles uses signature skill to vault ahead

Biles brought out the Yurchenko double pike vault after passing on doing one during the team final to protect her tender left calf.

Biles is the only woman to ever complete the vault in competition and it carries her name in the sport's Code of Points. The move requires her to do a roundoff back handspring onto the vaulting table, followed by two back flips while clasping her legs.

She took a sizable step back on her dismount but otherwise kept it under control.

Biles is off and running in her quest for another Olympic all-around title. Her score on the vault: 15.766.

It's a significant lead over Andrade's 15.100 already, with three events left for both.

Andrade saves new skill for another day, still shines on vault

There was speculation Andrade could attempt a Yurchenko triple twist during the final.

The Brazilian gymnast submitted the vault to be named after her in the sport's Code of Points. She has performed it at training but did not try it the all-around. She instead opted for a difficult Cheng that earned her 15.100 points. It was nearly flawless.

Sunisa Lee's score on vault: 13.933

The defending Olympic all-around champion is behind her Tokyo pace at the start.

Sunisa Lee was the first athlete on the vault, and the 21-year-old American who won the title at the Tokyo Games three years ago took a bit of a hop on the landing. Her score was 13.933.

Her score on the vault in the Tokyo all-around: 14.600.

Biles and Lee aren't the only Americans out here

Luisa Blanco, a Texas native and recent Alabama graduate, made the final while competing for Colombia. Blanco's parents are Colombian and she obtained dual citizenship over the last year.

She began competing for Colombia last fall and her performance at the Pan American Games helped her earn a spot under the rings.

It's go-time for the all-around

The 24 athletes have been introduced at the women's all-around competition, with Simone Biles coming out last and to the biggest ovation, of course.

Biles and U.S. teammate Sunisa Lee — the reigning all-around Olympic champion — will open on vault for their first rotation.

Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee and the rest of the all-around finalists are on the floor.

How does Olympics gymnastics scoring work?

There are two components to Olympics gymnastics scoring: The difficulty or D-score is what a gymnast does. The execution or E-score is how well they do it.

Technically, there's no limit on how high the D-score can go, but most elite routines top out between 5.4 and 6.0. Some exceptional ones can go higher — for example, Biles' floor routine at the team finals had a 6.8 D-score.

The E-table is based on a 10-point system, though no perfect 10 for execution has ever been awarded anywhere since the new paradigm was introduced (Simone Biles has come close a couple of times on vault). Anything over 8 is good.

During the all-around finals, each gymnast is judged on vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor, and their scores are added together. Highest total wins.

Rivals and friends

Biles and Brazil's Rebeca Andrade are rivals — and friends.

''It's an honor to be able to compete alongside her,'' Andrade said after leading Brazil to the bronze medal in the team's competition won by the U.S. team in Paris. ''She's a reference and a role model for the whole world of gymnastics. And also for other athletes.''

Andrade and Biles made their Olympic debut together in Rio eight years ago.

Andrade won the gold medal in the vault at the Tokyo Olympics and was runner-up in the all-around to Sunisa Lee.

Simone Biles' new gymnastics skill: What to watch for

Simone Biles has had five skills named after her in the gymnastics' Code of Points after completing them in competition.

There's a chance Biles could add a sixth element at the Olympics, where she has submitted a new skill on uneven bars.

She did not attempt the skill during qualifying or the team finals but could try it during the all-around competition.

If this was ‘Jeopardy!,' then Kyla Ross would be a great answer

If this was ''Jeopardy!,'' here's your answer: Kyla Ross.

The question: ''Who was the last gymnast to beat Simone Biles in a major all-around competition?''

It was March 30, 2013, at something called the Chemnitz Friendly in Germany, when Ross won the all-around gold and Biles finished second.

Biles has competed in 33 different all-around competitions since — Olympics, Olympic trials, world championships, U.S. championships and so on — and won the gold at every one of them. That obviously doesn't include the Tokyo Games, where she withdrew and did not compete in the all-around.

Why isn't Jordan Chiles in the all-around finals?

Jordan Chiles posted the fourth best all-around score during qualifying Sunday, but she won't compete for individual all-around gold.

The reason? Each country can only have two athletes in the all-around finals. Simone Biles was first and Sunisa Lee was third in qualifying, taking both of the spots open to U.S. gymnasts.

Chiles does have one more chance at a medal this weekend after qualifying for the finals on floor. She also had a good enough score to qualify on vault, but she didn't make that final because she finished behind countrymates Biles and Jade Carey.

Biles, Andrade and Lee will start on vault

If the scores are tight heading into floor, Biles has the advantage of getting to see how the others fare before starting her final event. Biles' floor routine will be the last event of the night.

It's been 11 years since someone actually beat Biles in all-around

Biles has an 11-year unbeaten streak in the all-around in meets she has started and finished into the finals. It's a run that has included an Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro and six world titles and nine U.S. Championships.

If she finishes atop the podium at 27 years, four months and 18 days, she will be the oldest all-around champion since then 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya of the Soviet Union during the first women's all-around competition in 1952.

Some more perspective on how long Biles has been on top: Olympic teammate Hezly Rivera had just turned 5 the year Biles won her first national and world titles.

The women's final marks the first time since the Olympics began offering an individual gold medal in the all-around in 1952 that there have been multiple Olympic champions in the same final.

Biles triumphed in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, with Lee earning the gold in Tokyo three years ago.

If either of them win, they will be the first woman to claim multiple Olympic all-around golds since Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia went back-to-back in 1964 and 1968.

Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union also won consecutive golds in 1952 and 1956.

Spurred by Simone Biles, adult gymnastics is on the rise

There are now hundreds of meets a year that offer opportunities for adults to compete. Many of the adults are former gymnasts who stepped away from the sport because they felt opportunities had dried up.

Those opportunities are returning, allowing the athletes to reconnect with the sport on their terms.

▶ Read more about the rise of adult gymnastics

Will this be Simone Biles' last Olympics?

The 27-year-old has kept quiet about her future plans, saying her focus after leaving Paris will be on the post-Olympic tour she headlines. Biles is also married and has talked openly about the fear of missing out on life milestones because of her time in the gym.

''She wanted to rewrite her story, the end,'' Landi said.

Landi then added a small asterisk.

''Well, that's what she says now.''

Simone vs Suni is an unprecedented Olympic showdown

Here is an interesting stat about the might of the U.S women's team:

A-list celebrities are showing up to see Simone Biles

Celebrity spotting was again part of the event at a raucous Bercy Arena when Simone Biles powered a dominant U.S. women's gymnastics team to the Olympic title on Tuesday night.

A-listers Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman and Serena Williams gathered at the Olympic venue to watch the most decorated athlete in the history of gymnastics during the team final. Spike Lee, Michael Phelps and former ace gymnast Nadia Comaneci were also in the crowd.

Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Jessica Chastain attended Biles' return to the Olympics when she competed in qualifying Sunday.

For Italy and Brazil, losing to Simone Biles' US team still felt like a victory

The Simone Biles -led U.S. team? Brazil star Rebeca Andrade and her teammates? Or the Italian team led by 17-year-old Manila Esposito?

The Americans' total of 171.296 made Biles the most decorated Olympic gymnast in U.S. history with an eighth medal.

But it was a historic day for Italy and Brazil, too.

▶ Read more about the silver and bronze team medalists

Japan's Shinnosuke Oka wins men's Olympic all-around title

The former junior world champion whose career was put on hold by a serious knee injury two years ago edged Zhang Boheng and Xiao Ruoteng, both of China, to claim his second gold medal in three days at his first Olympics, by just 0.233 points.

''I did not make any mistake at these Olympic Games,'' Oka said. ''I was a challenger, but I wanted to win.''

▶ Read more about the men's all-around finals

Simone Biles takes a swing at MyKayla Skinner over SafeSport comments

MyKayla Skinner isn't on the U.S. gymnastics team in Paris, but the vault silver medalist in Tokyo has still been part of the discussion.

Skinner later walked back her comments in an Instagram post, saying she did not intend to disrespect Simone Biles and the five-woman U.S. gymnastics team.

Biles seems to be disrespected anyway. After winning the team gold Tuesday, Biles posted celebratory photos on Instagram with the caption ''lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions'' — an apparent jab at Skinner's criticisms.

▶ Read about more about Skinner's comments

How to watch today's all-around finals

Competition begins at 6:15 p.m. CEST (12:15 p.m. EDT) at Bercy Arena and will air live in the United States on NBC.

▶ Read more about how to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics

Simone Biles will return to the mat today as she seeks 2nd all-around gold

Simone Biles, fresh off leading the U.S. women's gymnastics team back to the gold medal in team competition, returns to the mat in Thursday action at the Paris Olympics.

Biles will attempt to become the oldest women's all-around champion since 1952 when the 27-year-old American star takes on a field that includes Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade and defending Olympic champion Sunisa Lee.

Maria Gorokhovskaya was 30 when she won the gold at the 1952 Helsinki Games.

The event will mark the first all-around final that will include multiple Olympic champions in Lee and Biles.