Simone Biles Wins Gold In Women’s Vault And Bronze In Balance Beam

Simone Biles has won her third and fourth medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She won a gold Sunday in the women’s vault and bronze in the balance beam on Monday. Biles was thought by many to be able to take five golds home at the Rio Olympics, but I’m sure they wouldn’t consider bronze a let-down.

In the vault final, gymnasts vault twice and then their scores are averaged. Biles scored 15.9000 on her first and scored 16.033 on her second, averaging 15.966, and was the only gymnast to score higher than 16. She is the first U.S. woman to win the vault and first to win three Olympic golds at one Olympics. Prior to Rio Biles had never won a world gold in vault, she won bronze in 2015 and silver in 2013 and 2014.

Russian gymnast Maria Paseka won silver with an average score of 15.253 and Swiss gymnast Giulia Steingruber won bronze with an average score of  15.216.

41-year-old Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan competed in the vault final and her seventh Olympics.

In the balance beam Biles slipped and faltered, touching it with her hands during her routine dropping her points.

Biles teammate Laurie Hernandez took the silver medal and became the youngest American gymnast to medal individually since Shannon Miller in 1992. Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands took gold in the balance beam.

Biles now surpasses Miller as the most decorated U.S. gymnast of all-time. According to Team USA Nadia Comaneci said that if Biles is to be considered the greatest gymnast she would need to compete in more than one Olympics.

Article by Lindsey Horsting