Simone Biles made a triumphant return to the Olympics on Tuesday, July 30, leading the United States to gold in the women's artistic gymnastics team event at the Paris Games while Japan, missing its captain, finished eighth.
The US regained Olympic champion status after it slipped to silver in Tokyo three years ago. Biles had to withdraw then, citing mental health issues, a move that sent shockwaves around the Tokyo Games and the world.
Russia won gold in Tokyo but isn't taking part in Paris due to the invasion of Ukraine.
Eager for redemption, the Americans set the tone early, leading by 1.434 points after the first rotation. The US recorded the highest score on all four rotations at Bercy Arena.
When it was over, the American team of Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles dominated with a score of 171.296, a full 5.802 ahead of second-place Italy. Brazil took the bronze. Hezly Rivera didn't compete for the US but still earned a medal.
The margin of victory didn't approach the commanding 9.59 advantage the American had at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games when Biles made her Olympic debut, but it felt just as satisfying given all Team USA has been through over the years.
Simone Biles: International Gymnastics Icon
Biles, who is 27 now, won four golds in Rio to become the face of the Rio Games and an international icon, which made her withdrawal from the women's all-around final in Tokyo all the more shocking.
With a wrap around her left calf to support some tightness she felt in qualifying, Biles turned in a performance on Tuesday at Bercy Arena that re-established her status as the best gymnast in the world.
She recorded a team-high 14.900 on the vault ― the event she couldn't finish in Tokyo in the team competition ― and then followed with a 14.400 on bars.
On the beam, Chiles fell, dropping her score to 12.733 but Lee turned the tables with a huge 14.600 to restore the advantage and Biles finished the rotation with a strong 14.366.
The final event was the floor with Lee (13.533), Chiles (13.966) and Biles (14.666) capping a golden night.
'I Did Feel a Lot of Relief'
Biles said Tokyo was never far from her mind as the competition got underway in Paris.
"After I finished vault, I was relieved. I was like, 'Wooo, because please, no flashbacks or anything,' " Biles was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. "But I did feel a lot of relief. And as soon as I landed vault, I was like, 'Oh, yeah, I'm definitely [OK], we're gonna do this.' "
The gold was the fifth of her Olympic career and the eighth medal overall. She said in her post-competition interview that she's not keeping count.
"I'm doing what I love and enjoying it," Biles said. "So that's really all that matters to me. I don't think I will truly understand the depth of it until I walk away from the sport."
Perhaps Biles' only mistake was when she came out before the competition had even started. As Team USA was being introduced, Biles ran out onto the arena floor too early.
Arena staff directed her back into place as her teammates laughed it off. A fitting way to break through the pressure of the night.
She is not done yet at the Paris Games and could win as many as four more golds. She is set to compete in the individual all-around final as well as three individual finals ― vault, balance beam and floor.
Shoko Miyata's Absence Impacts Japan
The Japan women's team was rocked a week before the start of the Games by the withdrawal of its captain Shoko Miyata for underage smoking and drinking.
Japan received 159.463 to finish last of the eight teams, continuing its medal-free streak that has lasted since the 1964 Tokyo Games.
The Japan team of Rina Kishi, Haruka Nakamura, Mana Okamura and Kohane Ushioku, all teen Olympic debutantes, competed with just four members as compared to the other finalists, who all used five.
"There were areas that didn't go as well as the qualification round, but everyone in the team helped me put in good performances," Kishi said, according to Kyodo News after appearing on all four apparatuses alongside Nakamura.
Miyata pulled out on July 19 after admitting to smoking and drinking on one occasion each in the period since late June. Smoking and drinking are prohibited in Japan for those under the age of 20.
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Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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