By: Leaya Chen
On August 1st, in the Women’s Artistic Individual All-Around, 27-year-old Simone Biles won her second Olympic gold medal. Her event includes vault, uneven bars, beam, and floor.
In the vault rotation, Sunisa Lee started the competition with a Yurchenko double fold scoring 13.933. Then, Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who was competing in her second Olympics, scored 15.100 after a Chung vault. Biles competed third, performing the world’s hardest vault, the Yurchenko double pike vault – also known as the Biles II. Biles earned 15.766 out of 20.000 – eight-tenths over Andrade’s score. Biles was first after the first round or rotation.
In the uneven bars rotation, Brazil’s Andrade was the first to compete and scored 14.666. Biles performed next, but made a mistake on a transition. Her score for the rotation was 13.733. Sunisa Lee competed last. She scored 14.866 for the event.
After the second rotation, Andrade was first. Biles was in third place, while Lee was in fifth place.
“That’s not the bars that I’ve been training,” Biles said afterward. “Out of all of the events, I think bars is the one that I haven’t messed up on like once the whole entire training, here or back in Houston.”
Biles competed first in the beam rotation, scoring 14.566. Lee competed fourth. Lee shook a few times but scored an even 14.000. Andrade competed last, with a score of 14.133.
After the third rotation, Biles was first, followed by Andrade andLee was tied for fourth place.
In the floor rotation, Lee competed fourth scoring 13.666. Andrade competed next. She was out of bounds once, but otherwise her routine was fine. She scored 14.033. Biles was last to compete in the floor rotation, scoring 15.066.
Biles took first prize. Andrade won a silver medal, while Lee placed third, earning a bronze medal.
“I gave it my all, and that’s all that matters,” Lee said. “I’m so proud of myself, because I never would have thought that I got to this point in my life right now.”
“I wanted today to be a special competition, and it was. I think this will be my goodbye to the individual all-around,” Andrade said.