After a disappointing performance on the balance beam, American gymnast Simone Biles won gold in the floor exercise on Tuesday. Aly Raisman joined Biles at the podium and received the silver medal. The third place went to Great Britain’s Amy Tinkler. In the men’s gymnastics, Danell Leyva won silver in the parallel bars, a milestone for Americans in this event.
Biles completed Rio 2016 with five medals: four gold and one bronze, becoming the fifth American to win five medals at an Olympic Games. Biles is now part of history along with the only three other gymnasts that have won four golden medals at the Games. The first gymnast to win four gold medals at the Olympic Games was Larisa Latynina in 1956, then Vera Caslavska in 1968, Ekaterina Szabo in 1984, and now Biles in 2016.
On the floor, Biles scored 15.966, and it is considered her best performance. Teammate Aly Raisman, who won gold in London 2012, reached 15.500 and ended in the second place. The bronze medal went to the sixteen-year-old British gymnast Amy Tinkler. Tinkler in the first female athlete from Great Britain to compete on the floor.
Biles performance on the floor is characterized for the move that is now called “The Biles.” The American gymnast does a double layout with a half-twist and a blind landing that gives her many points. Her ending included a stag leap, a move she also used in the individual all-around but left out of her team performance.
The 4-inch-wide beam cost Simone Biles the title of the first gymnast to have won 5 gold medals in the Olympics
Simone Biles, 19, won four gold medals in the team event, the all-around final, the vault, and the floor exercise. But a mistake in her balance beam performance cost her the title of the first gymnast to win five gold medals. Despite almost falling from the beam, Biles won bronze.
Biles performed a challenging routine in the beam that would have given her her fifth Rio gold medal. After an incredible move, Biles fail to land both feet in the beam. One of her feet nearly touched the beam causing her to lose balance. The athlete had to grab herself to the balance beam with both hands to avoid the floor.
Despite the significant mistake, Biles was in the first position, but five gymnasts were left to performed. Surprisingly, only two of them surpassed Biles, including her teammate Laurie Hernandez.
Sanne Wevers from the Netherlands won gold after her clean routine in the balance beam. She scored 15.466. Laurie Hernandez went to the podium for the silver medal with 15.333 points. Biles scored 14.7 and got the opportunity to win another medal, a thing she did not expect since is almost impossible for a gymnast to win a medal after almost fell off the beam.
ESPN reported that the mistake in the beam nor the title of the first athlete to win five gold medals did not stress Biles. The young gymnast said that pressure is something that the media wants to put on her shoulders. But Biles stated that she does not worry because she is only 19 and her goals are to perform her routines.
A big moment for the American men’s gymnastics team
Danell Leyva was not part of the U.S. Olympic team after trials. Still, he managed to win silver on the parallel bars and set a milestone for the American men’s gymnastics team.
Leyva was called to represent the U.S. in Rio after John Orozco suffered torn knee ligaments in training.
Danell Leyva is the first gymnast to win silver in the parallel bars, and now he is also part of American gymnastics history. His silver medal is the highest finish for the United States in this event.
Source: ESPN