PARIS, France — Gymnastics superstar and Spring native Simone Biles powered the U.S. women's team to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
At 27, Biles was at her show-stopping best, cementing her legacy as the greatest gymnast of all time. Already the most decorated gymnast in history, Biles now has a combined 38 Olympic and world medals -- and counting.
She could add to her medal count in Paris during the all-around and individual event finals.
But Biles hardly did it alone.
The Americans dominated from the moment Jordan Chiles began the night by drilling her double-twisting Yurchenko vault.
Chiles and Suni Lee overcame their own series of setbacks, both physical and personal, to fight for the gold during their "Redemption Tour" after settling for silver in Tokyo.
Jade Carey overcame a disappointing fall during floor exercise in qualifying and scored a 14.800 on the vault, second only to Biles.
By the time Biles stepped onto the floor for the final event — a floor exercise set to music by Taylor Swift and Beyonce — her fifth Olympic gold medal was assured.
The crowd cheering for Biles and Team USA included everyone from tennis great Serena Williams and actors Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman to Biles' husband, Chicago Bears and former Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens.
They watched the Americans win by nearly six points — an emphatic blowout in gymnastics. The only real drama centered on who would finish next to the Americans on the medal stand.
Italy, which was a surprising second to the U.S. during qualifying, earned its first Olympic team medal since 1928 by holding off Brazil, which took bronze for its first medal in the biggest event in the sport.
