Simone Biles headlines a U.S. women’s team on a mission of “redemption” at the Paris Olympics, where the gymnast great is favored to add to her haul of four gold medals after a turbulent campaign in Tokyo.
Amid Biles’s high-profile struggles with the “twisties” and her withdrawal from several events at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, the Americans settled for team silver.
With Biles back — alongside Tokyo all-around gold medalist Suni Lee, Tokyo team silver medalist Jordan Chiles and 2020 floor exercise champion Jade Carey — the Americans are the overwhelming favorites to reclaim the gold, and Biles herself agrees with that assessment.
“Everybody probably looks at the team and thinks, ‘OK, they went to Tokyo and this, this and that happened,'” she said. “And what are they going to do here in Paris?’
“But for us, I know we are stronger than what we showed in Tokyo.”
Russia’s absence only strengthens Team USA’s chances. The Chinese have tremendous talent but have struggled for consistency and haven’t won an Olympic team medal since their historic gold in Beijing in 2008, followed by bronze in 2016.
Brazil, led by the exciting Rebeca Andrade, have established themselves as the United States’ most serious challenger and will look to build on their team silver medal at the 2023 World Championships – the country’s first team medal in history.
Other contenders for a team medal include European champions Italy and European all-around champion Manila Esposito, who are spearheading their bid for a first Olympic team medal since 1928.
A strong French team, led by Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos and three-time Olympian Marine Boyer, will hope to be cheered on by their home fans as China was in 2008.
The French signalled their intentions with a historic team bronze medal at the World Championships last year.
Biles is the overwhelming favorite to reclaim the all-around crown she won during her brilliant four-gold haul in Rio de Janeiro.
Lee could find himself with an unlikely chance to defend his title after battling not one, but two career-threatening kidney ailments that require ongoing treatment, though Chiles also has a solid chance to clinch second in the all-around for the United States.
World champion Andrade, China’s Qiu Qiyuan, De Jesus Dos Santos, Esposito and South Korea’s Yeo Seo-jeong, bronze medallist in Tokyo, will likely be in the medal race.
“Stability is the key,” Qiu said after training at Bercy Arena. “I aim to be consistent, which is crucial to reach the final.”
– Lee’s eyes glow gold –
But Biles, who added to her difficulty advantage with the addition of her Yurchenko double pike jump – now called Biles II – will be the woman to beat.
The breathtaking jump, which no other woman has attempted in competition, makes Biles the favorite to win gold on the event again.
Andrade will provide a formidable challenge in what promises to be a breathtaking event.
Algerian Kaliya Nemour, 17, has established herself as the favourite on the uneven bars with three World Cup victories in the event this year.
Biles, who won bronze on beam in Rio and Tokyo, has the skills to improve on that, as demonstrated by her fourth world beam title last year.
But her teammate Lee has made no secret of the fact that after her health problems – and past misadventures – she is focused on gold on the beam.
“I need a gold medal on beam because I feel like I always make the final and I always make mistakes,” Lee said at the U.S. trials.
Zhou Yaqin, who won silver behind Biles at last year’s world championships, signaled her Olympic intentions with an improved routine and an impressive score of 15.466 at the Chinese championships.
The floor exercise will feature the last two Olympic champions, Biles and her teammate Carey.
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