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Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnasts took to the mat Thursday to compete for all-around gold.
Biles, 27, entered the event hoping to become the oldest women’s all-around champion since 1952. She also came in with an 11-year unbeaten streak — a total of 33 competitions — in the all-around in meets she has started and finished into the finals. If that wasn’t enough, Biles was also poised to shatter a 120-year-old record.
After a performance only Biles could pull off, her streak — and her legacy — will live on.
Biles jumped out to a quick lead on the vault, scoring 15.766, pushing her ahead of Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade. The lead was fleeting though, after a miscue threw off Biles’ momentum on the uneven bars, prompting a score of 13.733. That dropped her to third place behind Andrade and France’s Kaylia Nemour heading into the balance beam.
Biles left the beam, apparently exhaling a sigh of relief, after a seemingly successful routine that earned her a 14.566. It bumped her to the lead partway through rotation three.
It was the floor exercise that ultimately ended the gold medal hunt.
Lee — who needed to complete the “routine of her lifetime” to medal, according to former Olympian Laurie Hernandez, who was calling the event on NBC’s broadcast — landed a 13.666 score on the floor. That guaranteed her a medal before Biles even touched the floor.
Biles took the floor last on Thursday. Heading in with a score of 44.065, she needed to maintain her lead from the first three events. More specifically, she needed to score at least 13.867 on the floor to secure the top spot.