Biles stands head and shoulders above rivals after clinching all-around gold

PARIS— If anyone needed any confirmation about Simone Biles’ standing in gymnastics, the sparkling GOAT necklace she slipped on and ecstatically showed off to a TV camera after she sealed the all around title at the Paris Olympics on Thursday verified her status as the greatest of all-time.

The world’s most decorated gymnast clinched her sixth Olympic gold medal in front of a delirious crowd at Bercy Arena after she left all her challengers in her shade, completing a triumphant comeback three years after withdrawing from the same final at the Tokyo Games.

Aged 27, Biles edged past Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade by 1.199 points to become the oldest athlete since 1952 to win the most coveted individual title in women’s gymnastics.

“My GOAT necklace is kind of an ode … it is crazy that I am in the conversation of greatest of all athletes because I still just think that I’m Simone Biles from Spring, Texas who loves to flip,” said the American who owns a jaw-dropping 39 world and Olympic medals.

In a tight race with Andrade, Biles was surprisingly left trailing in third place after a flawed performance on the uneven bars during the second rotation.

But if Andrade had started to fantasize about becoming the first Brazilian to win the Olympic event which requires female gymnasts to excel on all four apparatus, Biles brought her back to reality just 30 minutes later as she was back on top of the standings following a solid showing on the balance beam.

On the uneven bars, Biles got too much air on her flip as she transitioned from the higher to the lower bar and had to bend both knees to avoid touching the ground.

She also needed to take an extra swing to continue her routine on the apparatus. After completing her dismount, she looked really annoyed at herself for making the error as she walked off the mat.

Awarded 13.733 points, it was the worst score she had earned across all her performances to date in Paris. In fact it was the only time she failed to breach the 14-point barrier.

“I don’t even know how I held on to that,” Biles could be heard saying immediately after the fumble.

A mistake that could have proven costly turned out to be a mere blip in Biles’ charge towards victory.

By the time she stood at the edge of the mat to start her final performance, she knew the gold would be hers provided she avoided any major mishaps during her floor exercise display.