Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the balance beam during the women's artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 30, 2024, in Paris, France.Abbie Parr/The Associated Press
Simone Biles could claim her ninth Olympic medal in Thursday’s all-around final two days after leading the United States women to a gymnastics team gold in Paris.
Biles is the big favourite coming into the event after qualifying for the final by a healthy margin, and the drama may centre on the race for silver featuring a Tokyo rematch between defending champion Sunisa Lee of the U.S. and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
Lee held off Andrade for gold in the Tokyo all-around final, from which Biles withdrew due to a potentially dangerous mental block known as the “twisties.”
Andrade’s all-around score of 57.700 from Sunday’s qualification in Paris is the highest total posted by any woman this year aside from Biles, safely ahead of Lee’s qualifying score of 56.132.
But Lee is capable of a balance beam routine 0.7 points higher than her qualifying effort, putting pressure on Andrade to repeat her strong preliminary showing.
Another set of talented gymnasts are nipping at the favourites’ heels.
Breakout 17-year-old Algerian star Kaylia Nemour, known for her daredevil combinations on the uneven bars, qualified for the all-around final in fourth with a 55.966 and reigning European all-around champion Manila Esposito of Italy, also 17, was just behind on 55.898.
But China’s Qiu Qiyuan, who qualified in seventh with a disappointing total of 54.998, could also threaten. She suffered a fall and other missteps on the balance beam, where she has world-class difficulty, earning her a score almost two points below her likely target.
The U.S. women have captured the last five Olympic all-around titles, and an American woman also took silver in both 2008 and 2016.