PARIS, France — Simone Biles has solidified her place in history as the greatest gymnast of all time—and she's not finished with the 2024 Paris Olympics. Today at 12:15 p.m. EST, she'll compete for Gold in the women's all-around. If she wins, she'll be the first woman to win it twice in 56 years.
Here are the major storylines around the GOAT this Olympics:
- Simone officially has the most medals of any American Olympic gymnast ever
- She's doing it while being the oldest female gymnast on a U.S. Olympic team in 72 years...
- ...and overcoming an injury to her calf early in the Olympics
- It's a remarkable bounce back after her 2020 Olympics were derailed by the 'twisties'
- Her NFL player husband is in the stands cheering her on
- She's pushing back on criticism of her Olympic hairstyles...
- ...And former teammates calling this year's squad 'lazy'
- She's also sharing the nickname the team is giving itself
Biles arrived in Paris as the face of the U.S. Olympic movement and maybe the Olympics themselves. The buzz around her return to the Games has been palpable, with NBC leaning heavily into her star power by splashing Biles' face on countless promotions in the lead up to Paris.
Her gravitational pull is real. Athletes across the Olympic spectrum have said they want to make it a point to catch the most decorated gymnast of all time in what could be the final competition of her unparalleled career. Among them: LeBron James and the U.S. men's basketball team, which was busy Sunday with Olympic qualifying.