RIO DE JANEIRO — Simone Biles and Aly Raismanweren’t paying attention to the Olympic rings on the floor. That the best gymnasts in the world were gathered to compete hardly seemed to matter.
For the American teammates, the Olympic all-around final turned into another day of the friends having fun in the gym.
By the end of it, they were the best in the world, Olympic gold and silver medalists sobbing in each other’s arms as the Brazilian crowd at Rio Olympic Arena rained down cheers on them.
“We had both won gold in that moment,” said Biles, “and to both be from the United States and get to represent, I don’t think there’s any better feeling.”
That feeling included Americans taking the top two spots on the podium for the first time since 2008. Russia’s Aliya Mustafina claimed bronze.
That this outcome – and especially Biles’ gold – was expected didn’t make it any less remarkable.
Source: USA Today Sports
Discussion about this post