Paris (AFP) – Simone Biles returns to the spotlight with a sixth Olympic title in her sights in the women’s gymnastics all-around final on Thursday after helping the United States to team gold. Here, AFP Sport looks at five talking points ahead of the 24-woman individual event at Bercy Arena:
**Biles swings into action again**
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All-around victory would make Biles just the third woman to capture more than one overall title and the first to regain it. The reigning world champion wants to do it in style with a new skill on uneven bars. Biles withdrew from the team final and individual all-around at the Tokyo Games to focus on her mental health. She returned to the top of the Olympic podium on Tuesday with team gold for her eighth Olympic medal, including five gold, to become the most decorated US Olympic gymnast.
“She’s a very strong person mentally and physically, you can definitely tell she’s a different person than Tokyo,” said US teammate Jordan Chiles. Biles performed her stunning Yurchenko double pike vault — now known as the Biles II — in Paris qualifying and is hoping to have a sixth unique skill named for her, this time on the uneven bars. The American topped qualifying in all-around, vault, and floor exercises, was second on beam, and just missed out on a place in the uneven bars final. Her only chance now to debut the new skill will be in the all-around. At 27 years old, Biles could also become the oldest woman to win Olympic all-around gold since Maria Gorokhovskaya, who was 30 when she won at Helsinki 1952.
**Lee not ready to relinquish title**
A little more than a year after her doctors told her she might never compete again, reigning Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee is bidding to become the third woman to defend her title. The 21-year-old American could become the first woman since Czech Vera Caslavska in 1968 to win consecutive titles. Lee’s road back to the pinnacle of her sport has been every bit as challenging as Biles’. She took all-around gold in Tokyo three years ago after Biles’ sudden withdrawal and was diagnosed with two undisclosed kidney conditions in early 2023.
However, she said in April that her condition was “in remission” and that she considers herself to be a stronger gymnast now than in Tokyo. Victory for either Biles or Lee would see the United States win the gold for a sixth consecutive Games and a record seventh time, surpassing the Soviet Union’s six.
**Andrade in gold-medal chase**
After helping Brazil to a first Olympic team medal, Rebeca Andrade will be looking to move up from her silver behind Lee in Tokyo. The reigning Olympic vault champion also signalled that she may attempt a never-been-done Yurchenko triple twist on the apparatus. The only Brazilian gymnast ever to win an Olympic title, in the vault, the 25-year-old led the way on the apparatus in the team final in Paris.
**Chiles cheers from sidelines**
Chiles will have to cheer her US teammates from the sidelines after the heartbreak of missing out on the final. Chiles finished fourth, just 0.067 points behind Lee in qualifying, but the Olympic rules state that no more than two gymnasts from each country can advance. “Obviously the two per country thing, I don’t like it,” said Chiles, 23, after winning her first Olympic gold in the team on Tuesday to add to her silver in Tokyo. She also missed out on the vault final because of the same rule but will be in the running in the floor final having qualified third behind Biles and Andrade.
**Algeria, Italy in medals mix**
Kaylia Nemour will be bidding to earn a first gymnastics medal for Algeria after placing fifth in qualifying for the all-around and top on the uneven bars. The 17-year-old French-born athlete has competed for Algeria since last year after a dispute with the French gymnastics federation. Italy’s Manila Esposito and Alice D’Amato qualified just behind Nemour and are targeting a first women’s podium in the all-around after achieving silver in the team event.
© 2024 AFP
