Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team are currently competing in the team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Biles and her teammates, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, are the gold medal favorites, having dominated the preliminary rounds and showing how far they stand above their rivals.
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Simone Biles’ vault: Why she didn’t do the Yurchenko double pike
Simone Biles opted not to perform her signature Yurchenko double pike, but to attempt the second-hardest vault in recent competition. Biles earned 14.9 points with a chain that included a small jump on the landing. She was all smiles as she exchanged high-fives with her coach, Laurent Landy, and Cécile Landy, Biles’ co-coach in Paris and the U.S. women’s coach.
Biles’ choice of the “easier” vault is not surprising. First, the U.S. doesn’t need it. Yurchenko’s double pick is 0.8 points higher than Chen’s, but the U.S. still won 5 points over the rest of the field in qualifying. And tonight’s rotation earned her 44.1 points. Second, Biles hurt her left calf in qualifying. No need to push herself.
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Simone Biles’ calf is bandaged but she’s walking normally
Simone Biles is walking normally, but has almost her entire left calf bandaged. Recall that she hurt her left calf while warming up for the floor exercise in the preliminary round, and after being off the floor for a while, she returned with her ankle tightly taped. She remained in the competition, showed no ill effects, and earned her personal best score. Her coach, Cecil Lundy, said after the competition that it was a recurrence of an injury she had suffered a few weeks earlier, but that it was nothing to be concerned about.
U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team Rotation
The U.S. started the team final with a bang, with Simone Biles scoring a chain on the vault. The U.S. then moved on to the uneven bars and balance beam, before concluding with Biles’ specialty, floor exercise. Biles and her World Champions Center teammate Jordan Childs, who was unable to compete in the individual all-around final, will compete in all four events, while Suni Li will compete in three events and Jade Carey will compete on vault. The full schedule for U.S. women’s competition is below:
- safe: Jordan Childs (14.400), Jade Carey (14.800), Simone Biles (14.900)
- Uneven bars: Jordan Chiles, Simone Biles, Suni Lee
- Balance beam: Jordan Childs, Suni Lee, Simone Biles
- Floor Exercises: Suni Lee, Jordan Childs, Simone Biles
Simone Biles’ husband competes in the Olympics
Jonathan Owens is in the arena, sitting with Biles’ parents and wearing a T-shirt with a large photo of his wife and the word “BILES.” Owens arrived in Paris on Tuesday morning. In addition to the team final, Owens will be able to watch Biles compete in the individual all-around final on Thursday, August 1.
Simone Biles, US female skater, receives huge welcome from the crowd
As both teams were introduced to the crowd, Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s team garnered the most attention from the crowd. Biles forgot to pose and started walking onto the floor, but quickly regained her senses. She and Jade Cade were both laughing.
Serena Williams and Michael Phelps in attendance
Former U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, tennis superstar Serena Williams and actress Natalie Portman are among the A-listers at the Bercy Arena hoping to help Simone Biles and the U.S. team win gold. Biles’ husband, Jonathan Owens, is also at the arena after flying to Paris for an overnight stay. The Chicago Bears allowed their safety to leave training camp to watch Biles compete in the Olympics.
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Simone Biles’ moves are named after her: What you need to know
Simone Biles has left her mark on the world of gymnastics. In addition to winning a record number of World Championship and Olympic medals, more than any other gymnast, male or female, Biles has five moves named after her. Moves are named after the athlete who first performed them at a major international competition, such as the World Championships or Olympics. She has two moves on the vault, two on the floor exercise, and one on the balance beam. Here are some of Simone Biles’ moves named after her: — Nancy Armour
Simone Biles’ Yurchenko double jump: What you need to know
The Biles II, also known as the Yurchenko Double Pike, is one of five skills named after Simone Biles. Vaults are divided into “families” based on the entry. In the Yurchenko vault, the skater rounds off the takeoff board and performs a back handspring onto a table. Biles then performs a double somersault in pike position.
Very few men attempt this vault, which is extremely difficult due to the strength required to flip twice and the lack of an escape mechanism — if something goes wrong, you’re more likely to land on your head or neck than on your knees.
Biles started the vault in 2021 but has not performed it at a world championship or Olympic Games until the 2023 world championships. With a difficulty rating of 6.4, it is the most difficult vault in the women’s event.
Last year, Biles was penalized a half-point for having her coach, Laurent Lundy, stand on the mat when she landed, ready to step in and guide her to safety if he thought she was about to land unsafely, but neither Biles nor Lundy feel the need for him to do that anymore.
The most difficult vault typically performed by other gymnasts is rated at 5.6 points, 0.8 points lower than Biles II, so landing this vault would give Biles a significant scoring advantage.
Simone Biles’ moves are named after her: What you need to know
Simone Biles has left her mark on the world of gymnastics. In addition to winning a record number of World Championship and Olympic medals, more than any other gymnast, male or female, Biles has five moves named after her. Moves are named after the athlete who first performed them at a major international competition, such as the World Championships or Olympics. She has two moves on the vault, two on the floor exercise, and one on the balance beam. Here are some of Simone Biles’ moves named after her: — Nancy Armour
Is Simone Biles the greatest gymnast of all time?
Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time. She has consistently dominated the sport for over a decade, something that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago, as most gymnasts peak in their late teens. Her ability to win is in a class of its own. With 37 Olympic and World Championship medals, including 27 gold medals, Biles is the most victorious gymnast of all time. She also hasn’t lost an all-around competition since 2013.
Biles has redefined what’s possible in the sport, not just with her record-breaking victories and medals, but also with the unparalleled difficulty of the moves she performs. Biles has five moves named after her: two on the vault and floor exercise, and one on the balance beam, because she was the first, and often only, skater to perform these moves in competition.
How many Olympic medals has Simone Biles won?
Biles has won seven Olympic medals, four of which are gold. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won three gold medals in the individual all-around, vault and floor exercise, and led Team USA’s “Final Five” to a team gold medal. She also won a bronze medal on balance beam. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles added to her medal collection with a silver medal in the team event and another bronze medal on balance beam.
How many Olympics has Simone Biles competed in?
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be Simone Biles’ third Olympic Games.
Where Simone Biles trains and what it’s like to train with her
Simone Biles trains at Champions Center World, owned by Biles’ parents, Nelly and Ron, outside Houston. The gym is one of the top gyms in the United States. The WCC has two skaters on the five-member U.S. women’s team for the 2024 Paris Olympics: Biles and Jordan Chiles. Jocelyn Roberson is a tour alternate and Tianna Sumanasekera is a non-tour alternate. The WCC also sent the most skaters to the Olympic Trials, five of them all, and three more to the U.S. Championships.
“Training with Simone is like a once in a lifetime experience,” said Roberson, who transferred to WCC after the 2022 national championships. “She’s always full of energy in the gym. And she hits well. All the time. She never has a bad day, which to me is incredible.”
Who is Simone Biles married to?
Simone Biles is married to Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens.
How US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is smashing age stereotypes
At 27, Simone Biles is bidding to become the oldest Olympic all-around champion in women’s gymnastics in 72 years, and she’s one of four members of the U.S. team who fit the mold of repeat Olympic appearances in their 20s, which was once rare. The other three, Jade Carey (24), Jordan Childs (23) and Suni Lee (21), competed in college between their two Olympic appearances, which was also once rare. (The team will be joined by 16-year-old Hezly Rivera.)
According to USA Gymnastics, their average age is over 22, making them the oldest U.S. women’s gymnastics team to compete in the Olympics since 1952.
“The longevity of this sport has completely changed. Simone changed that,” Chiles said. “You don’t control everything that you can’t control anymore,” Biles said.
How is Olympic gymnastics judged?
Gymnastics routines are scored two ways: difficulty (also known as the D-score or opening value), and execution. Every gymnastic routine has a numerical value, and the D-score is the sum of the skills in the routine. The execution score (E-score) reflects how well the skills were performed. A gymnast starts at 10.0, and from there points are deducted for flaws or incorrect form. The D-score and E-score are added together to get the total for that apparatus (vault is always scored higher because it is a single skill).