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Simone Biles: Greatest gymnast of all time or just the best of her generation?

How far can Simone Biles push the boundaries of gymnastics? At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she redefined greatness by shattering records and surpassing even her own legendary achievements. Biles’ breathtaking performance not only earned her gold but also set new standards in the sport. The Paris Games were a record-breaking spectacle for gymnastics, with Team USA topping the medal tally with 126 medals, including 40 gold, largely due to the standout performances of Biles and her teammates.

Italian gymnast Alessia Maurelli, speaking to Olympics.com, proudly shared, “We are very, very happy,” reflecting Italy’s continued legacy in women’s gymnastics. The 2024 Paris Olympics celebrated extraordinary achievements and historic milestones in gymnastics. Let’s dive into the world of gymnastics records and explore the moments that made history.

The world records were broken by men and women gymnasts at the Paris Olympics

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Tremendous performances that enriched the Gymnastics rings Olympic history have been performed in the Paris Olympics; men and women athletes created new world records at the Games. The exceptionally stunning routines enthralled the world and elevated the benchmarks of this sport. Before talking about the most decorated gymnastics performer, Simone Biles, let’s highlight others’ Gymnastics world records. Alice D’Amato swept Olympic gold in the women’s balance beam final in Paris to become Italy’s first woman to win a gymnastics medal of that type. 

D’Amato overpowered icons from Team USA, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade for the accomplishment. She was triumphant with 14; 366 places it two-tenths of a point ahead of China’s Yaqin Zhou. As she said in an interview with Reuters reporter, “Beating Simone and Sunisa was only possible because both of them fell off the beam,” further adding that she got the benefit from her ‘stroke of luck’. In gymnastics, it was the first time China had clinched gold in a group all-round. Coming to the Paris Olympics, the Philippines had only one gold medal in the history of the Olympics in men’s gymnastics. But, this Olympics tripled that number of gold medals.

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In the Paris Olympics, men’s gymnast Carlos Yulo topped the individual event finals in floor and vault in Paris on two days in succession and made the Gymnastics world record Olympics. But, he was not prepared for any medal. He stayed focused on his game only, as he said to Olympics.com, “I was just hoping to perform well. I didn’t really expect a medal,” this positive attitude eventually helped him grab the no.1 position. The success of all Gymnastics Olympic winners in the Paris Olympics, both men and women, displayed the true power of determination and focus. All the triumphs will remind you that all your hard work will pay off one day. 

Discover the records broken by Simone Biles at Paris 2024

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Simone Biles: Greatest gymnast of all time or just the best of her generation?

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As usual, American star performer Simone Biles again set her inner fire on the global stage and created history. Calling this Gymnastics Paris 2024 her ‘redemption tour,’ she did it again and proved her dominance in the gymnastics arena. In the Paris 2024 Olympics, Biles emerged as the winner in three categories to bag three gold medals. Competing in one Team event, All-around competition, and vault event. She also won the silver medal for the floor exercise.

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This great achievement brought her total Olympic medal count to 11. Reflecting on her win, she told Olympics.com, “I’ve accomplished way more than in my wildest dreams,” expressing gratitude for her accomplishments. This achievement made her the most decorated American gymnast in history. Simone Biles is now just two gold medals shy of the record for the most Olympic victories among all gymnasts. She currently trails the Soviet Union’s Larisa Latynina, who holds 18 medals, and ties with Czechoslovakia’s Vera Čáslavská. Additionally, Biles has become the most decorated gymnast in World Championship history, with 30 medals.

It made her the third woman to triumph twice in the all-around final at the World Championships. She remains the only gymnast in history to have won this non-consecutive Olympic Games. Now, maybe, she will take some rest as she said in her interview with USA Today, “I’m just going to relax and see where life takes me,” after these back-to-back triumphs at the Paris Olympics. Her performance was just a testament to her abilities at the gymnastics Olympics. It also demonstrated her fitness accumulated performance at other Olympics. Ultimately, everything points to her continuing to remain a gymnastics icon.