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Incredible Report: What to Watch as Simone Biles Seeks Gold in All-Around Final…
After leading the United States to the women’s team gold medal, Simone Biles now will try to win one all for herself at the Paris Games. Biles is the favorite to win the women’s all-around title on Thursday, one of the most coveted victories of any Summer Olympics.
And if she continues to dominate her competition, she would become only the third woman to win two Olympic all-around titles. The last time it happened was 56 years ago. No gymnast, however, has won a second Olympic all-around title eight years after their first, as Biles is aiming to do.
She won the Olympic all-around at the 2016 Rio Games, when she was only 19. Now 27, she is performing her best gymnastics — with a smile, too.
Three years ago in Tokyo, Biles withdrew from the team final after becoming disoriented in the air. She also ended up missing the all-around final, and only performed in one more event, the balance beam. On Tuesday, Biles was especially thrilled with completing her vault during the team final. She will have to perform vaults at two more events in Paris: the all-around and then the event final, on Saturday.
Sunisa Lee, who also helped the U.S. team win gold in Paris, is the other American competing in the all-around, where she hopes to defend her Olympic title.
Here’s what else to know:
How to watch: The all-around final begins at 6:15 p.m. Paris time (12:15 p.m. Eastern) and will be shown live on N.B.C. and streamed on Peacock. A replay will be shown at 8 p.m. on N.B.C.
Dominating her sport: Biles is hoping to win her ninth Olympic medal. By winning the team gold medal on Tuesday, she became the most decorated U.S. Olympian in gymnastics, moving past Shannon Miller and increasing her total medal count at the Olympics and the world championships to 38.
Missing out: Twenty-four gymnasts will compete in the all-around, but only two athletes per country are allowed to participate, according to the rules. So while Jordan Chiles of the United States qualified fourth in the all-around, she did not make the cut to compete in the final because Biles and Lee had qualified ahead of her. Athletes from Italy, Japan and Brazil also did not make the finals because they qualified third behind two of their teammates.