Gymnast Biles makes her own history

19-year-old is fifth woman to win four gold at the same Games

RIO DE JANEIRO: Simone Biles bowed out of her fabulous Olympic debut in Rio with a record-equalling fourth gold, short of the record five she sought, but with her name in lights among the gymnastics greats.

“It’s been a long journey, but I’ve enjoyed every moment,” said the Texan.

The 19-year-old took gold on floor on Tuesday ahead of US teammate Amy Raisman, muscles flexed and with the steely determination she had shown on her way to the team, all-around and vault titles.



The only blip standing between her and history, a slip on the beam on the penultimate day of competition, which gave her bronze.

She is the fifth woman to win four gold at the same Games after Hungarian Agnes Keleti (1956), Soviet Larissa Latynina (1956), Czech Vera Caslavska (1968) and Romanian Ecaterina Szabo (1984).



But Biles remains unfazed. “To walk away from your first Olympics with five medals and four in gold, how can you be disappointed,” she said.

Biles missed London 2012 because she was too young to compete but has dominated gymnastics in the four-year cycle since.  

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2016.

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