Simone Biles after winning gold in women's all-around gymnastics finals on August 1. Photo: X
G KRISHNAN
PARIS: Nadia Comaneci, the first to achieve a perfect score of 10 in the Olympics in gymnastics which she did in 1976 Montreal was present at the Bercy Arena to watch first-hand the American gymnastics great Simone Biles create history.
Biles became the first American to win two gold medals in the women's all-around gymnastics event on Thursday evening here. Also, at 27 years, Biles became the oldest gymnast in 72 years to win an Olympics gold.
The 20,000-plus capacity Bercy Arena was electrifying with the women's all-around gymnastics being very much in demand. The atmosphere was lively and there were huge demands for tickets for the blue riband event that there were the unlucky few outside the arena standing with placards seeking tickets.
Besides Comaneci, the American star basketball player Stephen Curry was in attendance, cheering every move of Biles on the four rotations – the vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise in that order – at the end of which she was a clear winner, with 59.131 points, 1.199 points ahead of silver medallist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil (57.932). Fellow American Sunisa Lee bagged bronze with 56.465 points.
Gymnastics is truly a spectator sport and one has to experience it to feel the unbelievable atmosphere. The stadium, packed to capacity at the indoor arena, reverberated with every move each of the world's best 24 gymnasts made in each of the rotations. The oohs and the aahs echoed the air whenever there was a slip at the uneven bars routine, and there were three instances of gymnasts failing to hold the grip on the flip.
Biles was third after the second rotation, the uneven bars, which was her weakest, logging a poor 13.733. Andrade was leading at the halfway stage. But, Biles who had already won the gold in this event in Rio 2016 and had bagged her first gold in Paris 2024 in the women's artistic team all-around event, put up a remarkable show in the balance beam to march way ahead of the rest and regain the lead. Her performances in balance beam and floor exercise truly proved why she is one of the most celebrated sportspersons of all-time.
Her 14.566 in balance beam marked with her trademark Yurchenko double pike vault and completed with a perfect landing made the entire stadium erupt and acknowledge her effort. Curry could not resist but stand up, waving his right arm in jubilation while capturing the whole moment on his mobile phone with his left hand.
Biles, who was last to perform the floor exercise, had Andrade and Lee to beat and she just eased past them with a brilliant performance to win by a handsome margin. The spectators, the broadcasters and the celebrities in attendance went crazy over Biles and her achievement. She had just equalled Comaneci's total number of nine Olympic medals (five gold, one silver, two bronze) and moved to fifth in the all-time list of women gymnasts Olympics medal winners. Biles has six gold, one silver and two bronze.
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