Simone Biles leads U.S. 'redemption' Olympic gold in women's team gymnastics

"The Redemption Tour" ended in a familiar spot for Simone Biles: atop the Olympic podium. Again. The Canadian team finished in fifth place.

The American gymnastics star and her singular brilliance powered a dominant U.S. women's team in the finals inside a raucous Bercy Arena on Tuesday night.

With Biles at her show-stopping best, the Americans' total of 171.296 was well clear of Italy and Brazil and the exclamation point of a yearlong run in which Biles has cemented her legacy as the greatest ever in her sport, and among the best in the history of the Olympics.

The outcome the Americans on top with the rest of the world looking up was not in doubt from the moment Jordan Chiles began the night by drilling her double-twisting Yurchenko vault.

By the time Biles, the left calf that bothered her during qualifying heavily taped, stepped onto the floor for the final event a floor exercise set to music by Taylor Swift and Beyonce her fifth Olympic gold medal was well in hand.

WATCH l Biles wins 5th Olympic gold medal:

Simone Biles clinches women's team gold medal with a Taylor Swift and Beyonc inspired floor routine

2 months ago

Duration 4:31

Simone Biles won her fifth Olympic gold medal, when she closed the artistic gymnastics women's team final by winning with a floor exercise set to music by Taylor Swift and Beyonc. Her eighth Olympic medal moves her past Shannon Miller for the most by an American gymnast.

The 27-year-old provided the exclamation point anyway, sealing the Americans' third gold in its last four trips to the Games.

The Americans remain peerless (if not flawless, this is gymnastics after all) when at their best.

And over two hours in front of a crowd that included everyone from tennis great Serena Williams and actor Natalie Portman to Biles' husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, Biles left little doubt about anything.

Canada finishes fifth

The last time Canada competed in a women's gymnastic team final, Ellie Black was a newcomer in her first Olympics. This time around, she returned to the event as a seasoned veteran in her fourth.

On Tuesday, the 28-year-old from Halifax led the Canadian team at the Paris Games to an identical result to the one it reached in London 2012, with a fifth-place finish that remains the highest the country has achieved in the event.

"Twelve years was a long time to wait to get back into that team final," Black said, "but I was really proud of the team to be able to do that. The team is my favourite so to go out there and have another opportunity with these girls on the competition floor was super awesome."

Black, Ava Stewart of Bowmanville, Ont., Cassie Lee of Toronto, Aurelie Tran from Repentigny, Que., and Vancouver's Shallon Olsen finished with a combined score of 162.432.

Black said her feeling going into the team event 12 years ago was a little different than in London, when the team made the final for the first time in Canadian history. That feeling of newness may be gone, but she said the happiness and gratitude to be there are the same.

"Just soaking it up," she said.

The Canadians sat fourth after the first apparatus with three solid performances on balance beam, led by Black's score of 14.300.

They slipped to 7th after the floor routine, before recovering to 4th after strong vaults from Black and Olsen.

Olsen, who only competed on one apparatus, posted Canada's strongest vault of the night with a 14.400 score.

'Really phenomenal job'

Black, who competed in all four segments, said the Canadians were satisfied with their performance.

"I think we did a really phenomenal job to come fifth," she said. "Our team score was great, we tied our best ever in team finals like last time. It's a pretty awesome day."

For 18-year-old Lee, competing in her first Olympics was a "surreal" experience. She said she felt nerves before starting on the beam, but that she came in with a good mindset after having a good routine in qualifications.

"Once I got on the beam, all of it just went away and I felt confident," she said.

There were a good number of Canadian flags clustered throughout the packed Bercy Arena, although the crowd reserved its loudest roars for the American team and Biles, who once again cemented her legacy at the top of a list of all-time gymnastics greats with an eighth Olympic medal.

WATCH lGymnastics Analyst, Olympian Kyle ShewfeltdiscussSimone Biles:

Simone on a mission; Canadian gymnasts make history

2 months ago

Duration 4:18

Gymnastics Analyst and Olympian Kyle Shewfelt tells CBC's Dale Manucdoc how Simone Biles is on a mission heading into the finals, and highlights a historic moment for Team Canada gymnasts.

As the crowd erupted in cheers for the winning U.S. side, Black lifted her phone in the air, taking in the atmosphere with her Canadian teammates as the Americans celebrated their gold.

There has been speculation in Paris about whether these Olympics will be Biles' last, which is a question Black is also facing.

In the short term, Black and Stewart have to prepare for the all-around final on Thursday. Black and Olsen will also compete in the vault final on Aug. 3.

After that, Black's not saying.

While the sport used to be dominated by teenagers, athletes like Black and Biles, who are 28 and 27, are changing the perception of what's possible.

"As long as my body's feeling good, I still have goals I want to achieve and I can help the team, I'll probably stay around and do some more gymnastics for a while," Black said, adding that she'll reevaluate after she's had time to rest after Paris.

Greatest ever

Biles'status as the sport's greatest of all time. Her ability to move past the "twisties" that derailed her in Tokyo. Her spot in the pantheon of the U.S. Olympic movement.

Three years after removing herself from the same competition to protect herself a decision that changed the conversation around mental health in sports Biles pushed her medal total in major competition to a staggering 38 and counting.

Yet her return wasn't so much about winning. That's never really been the point anyway, just a byproduct of her unparalleled excellence. It was about a joy she had lost somewhere along the way.

It seems to have returned. She leaned into the crowd that roared at every flip, every leap and, yes, every twist. With her husband on break from NFL training camp waving an American flag while sitting next to her parents, Biles did what she has done so well for so long save for a couple of difficult days in Japan during a pandemic: she dominated.

Yet the 27-year-old hardly did it alone. Lee and Chiles were on the team that earned silver in Tokyo with Biles watching from the sideline. They navigated a series of setbacks both physical and personal to return to this moment and get the gold they so badly wanted.

And there they were on the biggest stage, Chiles doing all four rotations right next to her good friend Biles while doubling as the American's hype woman. Lee mixing her elegance with grit while dazzling on beam and uneven bars, her two best events.

WATCH lTom Cruise, Ariana Grande in attendance to watch Biles:

The stars come out for Simone Biles at Paris 2024

2 months ago

Duration 3:21

Hollywood celebrities Tom Cruise and Ariana Grande were in attendance to watch Simone Biles in the artistic gymnastics women's qualification.

Carey won the floor exercise in Tokyo, but did it with an asterisk of sorts. She had earned her way in through a nominative process the sport's governing body has since abandoned. She was with Team USA in Tokyo but not actually part of the official four-woman squad.

She vowed to write a different ending this time, and the Cheng vault she did on the first rotation scored a 14.800 second only to Biles to give the U.S. a commanding lead before Biles even saluted the judges.

The only real drama centered on who would finish next to the Americans on the medal stand.

Italy, which was a surprising second to the U.S. during qualifying, earned its first Olympic team medal since 1928 by holding off Brazil, which took bronze for its first medal in the biggest event in the sport.

Yet there was no question about the top spot. There rarely ever is when Biles is involved.

WATCH lSimone Biles dazzles with floor routine in qualifications:

Watch and listen to Simone Biles' floor routine like you are on the ground at the Paris Olympics

2 months ago

Duration 1:33

With American gymnast Simone Biles competing in women's artistic gymnastics qualifications, watch her floor routine without any commentary, and instead listen to the crowd and the sounds of the arena.