A soaring Simone Biles lands her third gold medal of Paris Olympics

PARIS – Simone Biles hasn’t faced a challenger as strong as Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in years, and in the vault final, they met for their quickest battle of these Paris Olympics.

On the apparatus where both are perhaps most impressive, each delivered two vaults apiece, a grand total of about 25 seconds of thrilling gymnastics that ended with Biles’ third gold medal in Paris.

Biles performed a highflying Yurchenko double pike, a vault so hard no other woman has attempted it. Yet Biles flew through the air, reaching a height not even Andrade can match, and controlled the landing well. She took just a hop backward and then had a similar strong landing on her second vault for an average score of 15.300. Biles’ mom, Nellie, waved an American flag-printed scarf as she celebrated in the stands.

If Biles had struggled on her landings – or had Andrade debuted a new skill successfully – this competition might have been tight. But about 15 minutes later, when Andrade stepped into the spotlight, Biles’ gold already seemed guaranteed.

Andrade, the defending Olympic champion on this apparatus after Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Games, was excellent. But her two vaults, the same ones she has performed in the past, could not challenge Biles’ difficulty. Andrade earned a 14.966 two-vault average, finishing well ahead of bronze medalist Jade Carey, a U.S. gymnast who was thrilled with a redemptive podium finish after a stumble on the runway kept her from a medal at the Tokyo Games. By the end of the competition, Biles again remained on a tier of her own.

Biles’ performance was a showcase of her innovation. She has changed the perception of what is possible in women’s gymnastics with skills such as the Yurchenko double pike, which now bears her name. It’s a dangerous element because gymnasts must reach incredible height when they propel off the apparatus to ensure they land safely. In a testament to Biles’ ability, her most common flaw is having too much power, which sometimes leads to her falling backward. In the final, she controlled the landing with ease, clapping to herself several times as she stepped off the mat.

Gymnasts must perform two different vaults to be eligible for medals on the apparatus. After the Yurchenko double pike, Biles landed a vault known as a Cheng, which features a half-twist entry onto the table and then a 1½ twist in the air. Andrade’s Cheng was slightly better, earning a 9.500 execution score compared with Biles’s 9.300. Andrade flew through their air with beautiful technique: Her legs stayed glued together, and her body was perfectly straight.

Andrade teased the possibility of her unveiling a new element – a triple-twisting vault that would bring her scoring ceiling closer to Biles’ mark – but she instead stuck with her 2½-twisting variation instead. Biles’ double pike earned a difficulty score that was a full point higher.

Andrade won gold in the vault final at last fall’s world championships after Biles fell on her Yurchenko double pike on her way to her lone silver of that competition. Not only did Biles incur a one-point deduction for rolling backward, but she also lost a half-point because her coach stood on the mat for safety. Even with the fall, Biles would have won gold if she hadn’t taken that hit because of a controversial rule. This year, Biles executed this dangerous vault without her coach nearby, and in Paris, she landed all three competitive attempts.

As soon as Biles stayed on her feet, she effectively sealed the gold. Andrade had not competed, but Biles’ high score was impossible to reach.

That’s the reward for mastering such a complex element, and for Biles, it was again her winning formula.