Simone Biles has won her third gold medal of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics—her seventh overall—solidifying herself, once again, as one of the greatest to ever hit the gymnastics mat.
On Saturday, Aug. 3, Biles completed her Olympics "redemption" tour during the artistic gymnastics women's vault final—the same competition she withdrew from during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after experiencing a case of the "twisties."
Biles scored a 15.700 on her first vault, after nailing a Yurchenko double pike vault—also known as the Biles II—and with a 6.400 difficulty rating. On her second pass, she scored a 14.9 after landing a Cheng vault, giving her an average score of 15.3 and placing her atop the podium for the third time during this year's Olympic Games.
In a seemingly symbolic move, Biles wore what one commentator called her "power color" for the event—a royal red leotard featuring 3,600 Swarovski crystals.
The Patriotic Poise Replica Tank Leotard from Pennsylvania-based company GK Elite Sportswear "stands as a symbol of pride and passion," according to the company's website.
Fitting, don't you think?
Biles also won the gold medal in the women's individual all-around competition and the team event.
Biles's coach since 2017, Cecile Land—told the press after the U.S. women's team won gold that Biles "wanted to rewrite her story, the end." Mission accomplished.
While Biles has been collecting gold medals in Paris, she has also been continuing to show up as a mental health advocate while normalizing therapy, even while competing on the world stage.
In a recent interview with TODAY co-anchor Hoda Kotb for her podcast, Making Space with Hoda Kotb, Biles revealed that she has been starting competition days by attending a therapy session.
“I feel a lot more free, especially going to therapy and doing those sessions so that physically and mentally I feel better, and I know that's an important part of my routine," she said at the time. "So just staying on top of that, it lightens the load a lot."
Biles also opened up about the anxiety she experiences at the Olympic Games, primarily when she visits Olympic Village, where the athletes reside and hang out before, in-between, and after competitions.
In a "Get Ready With me" TikTok video prior to her competing in the women's gymnastics all-around finals, Biles revealed she had "not done much around the Olympic Village" as a result of her intense anxiety.
"It's because the first day we got here, and I got to the cafeteria and a lot of people were asking me for photos, like nonstop," she explained. "And whenever I sat down to eat my anxiety was so bad I was shaking."
Normalizing and de-stigmatizing anxiety and mental health care while climbing atop the podium not once, not twice, but three times? Yeah, she's the GOAT for a reason, folks.
