DPA
Paris
Simone Biles led the United States to the Olympic women’s gymnastics team title on Tuesday, banishing memories of her Tokyo difficulties and setting up a potential gold spree for the 27-year-old like in 2016.
Biles picked up her fifth career Games gold as the Americans, also including Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and the impressive 2021 all-round champion Sunisa Lee, dominated with a big total of 171.296.
"We’re super excited. We’re honoured to represent the US every time we get on a world stage, but accomplishing that gold and that goal was just an amazing feeling,” Biles said.
"I think we all had something to prove from Tokyo and tonight we did just that.” Italy took silver on 165.494 for a first Olympic gymnastics team medal since 1928 and Brazil snatched bronze for a maiden team medal.
It is a fourth Olympics team gold overall for the US women and third in the last four Games. Biles is now the most decorated American Olympic gymnast with eighth medals.
US coach Cecile Landi said: "Her gymnastics was good, her behaviour is great, her attitude - all around, a great human being.”
A top score of 14.900 on the vault in the first of four rotations - albeit with a safer jump - settled any nerves Biles might have had after mental health problems left her without a gold in Tokyo three years ago.
The US had to settle for silver in the team event in Tokyo, partly due to Biles’ problems as the Russians profited.
But with no Russians in the Paris gymnastics, the Americans were in charge right from the first rotation. Biles also looked solid on the uneven bars, confident on the beam and mesmeric on the floor as tennis great Serena Williams watched on in the stands.
"They called it their redemption tour, and that’s what it is,” Landi added "They wanted the gold they couldn’t get in Tokyo.”
Biles had limped around with a calf problem and had her ankle strapped in qualification. But this time she seemed fully fit at the Bercy Arena as she targets four more golds in the individual events starting on Thursday with the all-around final.
She was greeted by an enormous cheer when entering the arena and looked relaxed, even yawning expansively at one stage and then laughing when realizing she was on the big screen.
Britain were just edged into a creditable fourth, with Canada fifth.
Briton Alice Kinsella said: "I think we did so well considering we were ending on beam. It was all really, really close. For me, I was the most nervous I’ve ever been out there. I thought I was going to be sick.” China’s top beam star Zhou Yaqin fell as they finished sixth, a day after a late collapse by China’s men gifted Japan the men’s team gold.
Romania and Japan placed seventh and eighth.