Team USA secured the gold medal in the women’s gymnastics team finals on Tuesday, thanks in part to Simone Biles’ electrifying floor routine.
As previously reported by Deseret News, Team USA finished with a score of 171.296, significantly ahead of second-place Italy, which scored 165.494, and third-place Brazil, which scored 164.497.
With Tuesday’s gold medal, Biles now has eight Olympic medals, making her the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history, according to NBC News.
Per the Olympics, the previous record of seven medals was held by Shannon Miller, and it was set during the 1996 Olympics when she also led Team USA to gold in the team event.
“I am so happy,” Miller said in an interview with NBC News. “My heart is full because I know, as an athlete, what it takes to win a gold medal, and these ladies have been through it all on the road to get here.”
Biles performed her floor routine to the music of Taylor Swift. Despite losing her balance and stepping out of bounds a couple of times, her performance still proved she deserved the recognition for being known as the world’s greatest gymnast.
After Biles aggravated a calf injury during warmups for the floor exercise qualifiers over the weekend, viewers were on the edge of their seats to see if the star gymnast would struggle.
She put those fears to rest as she performed, and her teammates had plenty of shining moments, as well, as the Deseret News reported.
Biles has described the Paris Olympics as her “redemption tour” following her withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics, according to NBC News.
“We were just having a good time while we were getting ready,” Biles said after Team USA won gold, per NBC News. “And we all knew what the job was once we got in here.”
Biles’ journey at the Paris Olympics is not yet complete.
According to CNN, she still has the potential to win gold in four other events for which she qualified: the individual all-around, the vault, the beam and floor exercise.
