PARIS — «The Redemption Tour» ended in a familiar spot for Simone Biles: atop the Olympic podium. Again. The American gymnastics star and her singular brilliance powered a dominant U.S.
women's team in the finals inside a raucous Bercy Arena on Tuesday night. With Biles at her showstopping best, the Americans' total of 171.296 was well clear of Italy and Brazil and was the exclamation point of a yearlong run in which Biles has cemented her legacy as the greatest ever in her sport and among the best in the history of the Olympics.
The outcome — the Americans on top with the rest of the world looking up — was not in doubt from the moment Jordan Chiles began the night by drilling her double-twisting Yurchenko vault.
By the time Biles, the left calf that bothered the 27-year-old during qualifying heavily taped, stepped onto the floor for the final event — a floor exercise set to music by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé — her fifth Olympic gold medal was well in hand.