DPA
Paris
US gymnastics star Simone Biles wowed on the vault to seize her third gold of the Paris Games and seventh of her Olympic career on Saturday.
She scored 15.300 from an average of two jumps, leaving Tokyo vault champion Rebeca Andrade of Brazil in second on a strong 14.966. American Jade Carey took bronze.
Biles’ opening back flip with two and a half somersaults in the pike position is rarely ever tried by women gymnasts and the difficulty level alone gave her a huge advantage.
The 27-year-old added vault gold to successes in the all-around and team competition at the Bercy Arena in Paris as she closes in on Larisa Latynina’s gymnastics record of nine golds for the Soviet Union 1956-1964.
“I’m super excited, ecstatic for how my vaults were. I wanted to perform them well, and I think you saw that today. (I was) a little bit tired going into the finals, but I kept pushing,” said Biles, who now has 30 gold medals across Olympics and world championships.
“I put in a lot of work to be able to perform that vault (the so-called Yurchenko double pike) well. I’m excited I got to show that here during finals today.”
Biles became a household name after winning four golds - including on the vault - in Rio in 2016 before mental health issues in Tokyo three years ago left her without a gold.
On Monday, Biles has the chance to increase her Paris collection in the beam and floor finals.
Only second ever Philippines gold Carlos Edriel Yulo earlier gave the Philippines their first medal of the Paris Olympics and only the second Games gold in their history after winning the men’s floor final.
Yulo, the 2019 world champion, notched 15.000 whileas Briton Jake Jarman was third.
“I’m so overwhelmed,” Yulo said. “I’m feeling grateful for having this medal and for God. He protected me, as always. He gave me the strength to get through this kind of performance and perform this well.
“I’m grateful for the people who really supported me. I could not do it without them. There were a lot of really good gymnasts, I am happy we are all safe and there are no injuries.”
In the last event of the day, an emotional Rhys McClenaghan won Ireland’s first ever Olympic artistic gymnastics medal after powering to gold in the men’s pommel horse competition.
The third gold for Ireland in Paris makes it their most successful Olympics ever with two bronzes and Irish music blasted from the Bercy stereo as the gymnastics crowd left after another thrilling day’s action.
“It feels like a dream but it’s a dream well earned,” he told Irish broadcaster RTE.
The 2022 and 2023 world champion was almost flawless to score 15.533 ahead of the 15.433 for silver medallist Nariman Kurbanov as he also bagged a maiden gymnastics medal for Kazakhstan.
American Stephen Nedoroscik, who removes his glasses and does the pommel horse by memory, sealed bronze to go with his team third-place.
Rio 2016 and Tokyo pommel horse champion Max Whitlock of Britain failed to medal in his last event before retirement.
Sunday’s programme includes the men’s rings final, the women’s uneven bars without Biles and the men’s vault final.
