Simone Biles Is Good as Gold Once Again
Elite Gymnast leads USA to 1-3 finish in All-Around Individual Competition
On a day in Paris that started with clumsy gender questions in the boxing ring, Simone Biles once again left no doubt who the best female gymnast in the world is. The star of stars on Team USA won the gold medal in the all-around individual competition. It was her sixth. Teammate Sunisa Lee finished third, garnering a bronze. The medal count at Olympics continues to grow for Team USA.
Biles shared the love with husband Jonathan Owens, the Chicago Bears DB who was allowed by the team to miss some of training camp to watch his wife in Paris.
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens shared a moment after clinching the women’s all-around gold medal 🫶 pic.twitter.com/oZUG7tpyJR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 1, 2024
“It is crazy that I am in the conversation of ‘Greatest of all athletes’ because I just still think, ‘I’m Simone Biles from Spring, Texas who loves to flip'” she said.
The silver went to Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, a great story in her own right. Andrade overcame three ACL tears in four years to medal, adding to the medal count at Olympics.
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade had THREE ACL tears in four years.
She just took home silver today in the all-around competition in Paris 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Bw0vbyKnt7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 1, 2024
“I don’t want to compete with Rebeca no more,” Biles said. “I’m tired. Like, she’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close.”
Growing Controversy in 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Controversy in the Boxing Ring Grows
In boxing news, the controversy that erupted after Italy’s Angela Carini retired after 48 seconds against Algerian Imane Khelif rages. The gender question turned into a social media spree with people questioning the Algerian.
A man punching a woman in front of the world. Match lasted 45 secs before she abandoned with a suspected broken nose.
World is acting like that guy that hears the neighbor beating his wife and does nothing to help. #SHAMEFUL #Paris2024
#IStandWithAngelaCarini pic.twitter.com/CB9oKkkQrG— Sabatino (@S_Andreoni) August 1, 2024
There were few people defending Khelif.
Imane Khelif is a female-born woman fighter, she’s perfectly eligible to compete in women’s sports from a gender point of view
She’s born a female, please do not belittle her achievement as a woman and call her a man. It’s not right. This mass misinformation needs to stop. https://t.co/FSQOpxMQJG pic.twitter.com/Ft4kEz4Mxr
— 𝙁𝙎 🇵🇸 (@Fs_FTBL) August 1, 2024
“First, I thank all the Algerian people, after this first victory,” Khelif said. “I hope to achieve a second victory to secure a medal, and then think about the gold medal. I tell the Algerian people that I am working to provide the best I can in order to make them happy.”
Khelif could clinch an Olympic medal with a victory in her quarterfinal bout Saturday against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori. The issue will not get a day off as Khelif advanced in the tournament. It will percolate again on Friday when China’s Yu-Ting, 28, begins competition against Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan in the featherweight division.
Both Khelif and Yu-Ting have been disqualified from the 2023 boxing world championships due to results from unspecified chromosome tests.
Khelif won a silver medal at the International Boxing Association’s 2022 world championships. The same governing body disqualified her from last year’s championships shortly before her gold medal match because of what it said were elevated levels of testosterone.
Wilson, Stewart Lead USA Women Over Belgium
It might have been closer than expected but the USA women’s basketball team upped its mark to 2-0 with a 13-point win over Belgium. A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart combined for 49 points. The medal count at Olympics continues to rise with performances like these.
The USA dominated the boards, outrebounding Belgium 48-28. It also had 17 more free-throw attempts than its opponents.
Andy Murray’s Career Is Over
The tennis career of Great Britain’s Andy Murray has concluded. Murray and partner Dan Evans lost to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul at Roland Garros. It came after a couple of spectacular comebacks by the British team in the early rounds.
13 Lucky and Unlucky for Ledecky
Swimmer Katie Ledecky won her 13th Olympic medal, a silver in the 4X200 relay. She is the most decorated swimmer in American women’s history with one more than breaking a tie with swimmers Natalie Coughlin, Jenny Thompson, and Dara Torres. This adds to the growing medal count at Olympics.
Closing with a Bang
TMZ reported Tom Cruise will be involved in a spectacular finish to the Paris Olympics and beginning of the road to Los Angeles in 2028. Cruise will rappel down the Stade de France, landing on the field with the Olympic flag.
There will then be a video of Cruise making his way to LA on a plane and it will conclude with him skydiving from the Hollywood sign. TMZ suggested the person rappelling down from the Stade de France could be a stunt double.
Cruise was at the Olympics early in the Games.
| Country | 🥇 | 🥈 | 🥉 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 11 | 7 | 6 | 24 |
| USA | 9 | 15 | 13 | 37 |
| Australia | 8 | 6 | 4 | 18 |
| France | 8 | 11 | 8 | 27 |
