Simone Biles has stunned onlookers once again, as Team USA grabs the gold in the final round of the 2024 Paris Olympics gymnastic team competition. It’s a stunning comeback moment for the G.O.A.T.
How women’s gymnastics is scored at the Olympics, and how Simone Biles pushes those boundaries
The floor event is routinely Team USA’s shining moment in world competition — current team member Sunisa Lee won the all-around at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — with Biles’ routine featuring some of the most difficult tumbling passes ever seen in gymnastics history.
Biles’ routine sets the highest difficulty scores of anyone else you’ll see tumbling across the mat — and these are already some of history’s greatest gymnasts. Her last pass (usually the lowest difficulty score out of a typical three- or four-pass routine) is scored nearly the same as other gymnasts’ hardest tumbling efforts. It also features a skill named entirely after her.
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Team USA, at large, showcases several powerhouse routines. However, nerves were high during the first qualification round. While Biles pulled in a huge 14.6 for her routine on Sunday, teammate and floor expert Carey stumbled into a major fall for the usually solid athlete. But in the finals, the entire team was on fire — and the podium seemed closer than ever for all three floor competitors.
Biles nearly nailed her history-defining passes, soaring through the air with only a few wobbles outside of bounds. But the minor slip-up was a trivial one: Biles got a 14.666. Lee brought in an impressive 13.533 herself, and Jordan Chiles — a known floor performer — nabbed a stunning 13.966 as she and her team were brought to tears on the mat.
