Simone Biles added four Olympic medals to her collection with her performances in Paris. Here’s a look at how she got each one.
Team USA made its mark on the mat in Paris.
Gymnastics at the 2024 Olympics concluded Monday, with Americans claiming two more medals in the final event of the competition.
Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles got the job done in the finale, but stars like Suni Lee, Stephen Nedoroscik and Frederick Richard also contributed to the medal count.
Here are some of the best moments as Team USA collected 10 total gymnastics medals and three golds:
Simone Biles becomes most decorated American gymnast
Following a disappointing Tokyo Olympics, Biles was back and legitimately better than ever in Paris.
The 27-year-old Texas native won three golds (team, all-around, vault) and a silver (floor exercise), setting a number of records along the way. Here are just a few of her ridiculous accomplishments over the past few days:
- Became the most decorated U.S. gymnast (11 total medals, next-closest has seven).
- Took the record for most gold medals by a U.S. gymnast (7 gold medals, next-closest has five).
- Became the first woman to win the individual all-around in non-consecutive Olympics (2016, 2024), and just the third woman to win the event twice.
- Became the oldest women’s all-around Olympic gold medalist in 72 years.
- Became the oldest U.S. gymnast to win a gold medal (previous record was Aly Raisman at 22 years old).
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US men win historic team medal, Stephen Nedoroscik becomes breakout star
While the women's gymnastics team is a perennial medal contender, the same hasn't been true about the men recently.
But that all changed in Paris, when Stephen Nedoroscik and his teammates changed the narrative. The U.S. won bronze in the team all-around final, which marked the first medal in that event since 2008 (bronze). It was just the sixth Olympics where the U.S. men earned a medal in the team event.
Nedoroscik sealed the deal with his performance on the pommel horse, but Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Asher Hong and Paul Juda set the stage for him. Richard had the best performance in floor exercise, horizontal bar and parallel bars, while Hong was best in rings and vault.
Days later, Nedoroscik was back on the pommel horse with a chance to earn an individual medal. The Massachusetts native did just that, scoring a 15.300 for bronze while continuing to electrify the nation with his Clark Kent impression -- taking off his glasses and becoming Superman.
Suni Lee's comeback is complete with 3 more medals
Lee won three medals in 2021 and three medals in 2024. But what happened during those three years is what makes 2024 so remarkable.
The Minnesota native was diagnosed with two kidney diseases in March 2023, which put her athletic career into question. Swelling, nausea and lightheadedness were among the symptoms she dealt with before finally recovering and getting back into gymnastics after a six-month layoff.
Lee looked as comfortable as ever in Paris. First it was standout performances in uneven bars and balance beam to help secure gold in the team event. Then she claimed bronze medals in the individual all-around and uneven bars.
Now with six career Olympic medals, Lee has solidified herself as one of the all-time greats. Only Biles (11) and Shannon Miller (7) have more. And at just 21 years old, she still might not be finished.
Jordan Chiles earns first individual medal in thrilling finale
It took a late scoring change, but Chiles won her first individual medal in the floor routine to wrap up the Olympics.
The 23-year-old Chiles kicked off her Paris trip with an all-around performance in the team event. Along with Biles, Chiles competed in all four apparatuses for Team USA. Her scores helped give the U.S. a decisive victory, a first career gold for Chiles after winning silver in the Tokyo team event.
The crowning achievement for Chiles, though, might have come in the final gymnastics event in Paris. She was the ninth and final athlete to take the floor, and she did not disappoint.
Chiles' initial score was good for fifth, but an inquiry elevated her to third -- onto the podium with Biles (silver) and Rebeca Andrade (gold). She celebrated accordingly, with Biles chasing after her for an emotional embrace.
China wins most medals with performances in all disciplines
Despite all the Team USA standouts, China ended up winning the most overall gymnastics medals.
While the U.S. had three golds and 10 total medals, China ended up with two golds and 11 total medals.
The Asian nation performed in all different events for both men's and women's. Here are the medals that China won:
- GOLD: Men's rings, men's parallel bars
- SILVER: Men's team all-around, men's individual all-around, men's rings, women's uneven bars, women's balance beam, men's individual trampoline
- BRONZE: Men's individual all-around, men's horizontal bars, men's individual trampoline
Rebeca Andrade and Shinnosuke Oka steal the show from Team USA
Two of the biggest gymnastics stars in Paris were not Americans.
Andrade was the stiffest competition for Biles and Co. throughout the Olympics, and she finally broke through for gold in the aforementioned floor exercise final to close the Games. The Brazilian star earned silver in the individual all-around and vault, finishing just behind Biles in both events. Her country claimed bronze in the team event.
The four medals matched Biles and Oka for the most medals of any gymnast this summer, man or woman.
Speaking of Oka, he dominated on the men's side. The Japanese gymnast won three golds in the team event, individual all-around and horizontal bar. He added a bronze in parallel bars to cap off a stellar Olympic debut as a 20-year-old.
