Simone Biles, Suni Lee & Team USA won Olympic gold in team gymnastics

I’m not sure we’ll ever see another Olympian like Simone Biles. She’s a goat among goats, she is the athlete other athletes fan-girl over. Michael Phelps has been in the stadium to support the American women gymnasts as much as he can. Spike Lee and Snoop Dogg have also been there to support Simone, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera. Serena Williams has been camped out supporting Simone and the girls. Tom Cruise was there at some point too.

On Tuesday, the female gymnasts were going to their team competitions and going for gold as a team. Team USA leaned heavily on Suni and Simone, and both women absolutely killed it, as did Jordan Chiles. Team USA won silver (as a team) in Tokyo, and this year, they reclaimed gold. They did it all while Simone has a heavily strapped calf – several days ago, she felt some pain “pushing off,” so she’s been wrapped up and ready to go.

Now Simone has won the most Olympic medals of any American gymnast in history. She has five gold medals, one silver and two bronze medals. And we’re not even done in Paris – Simone and Suni will be competing in All-Around, and they are also competing in all of the individual events too, I think? Jade Carey will also compete in Vault, and Jordan will compete on floor.

Another cool story of the team gymnastics competition was the Brazilian team picking up the bronze medal. Apparently, Brazil barely supports their gymnasts, nor do they support female athletes, so Brazilian female athletes have to hustle and get their own sponsors and endorsements to basically self-fund the team. And that paid off – a bronze!! The Italians won silver. It was a surprise podium, according to the NBC experts.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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41 Responses to “Simone Biles, Suni Lee & Team USA won Olympic gold in team gymnastics”

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  1. Pinkosaurus says:

    I loved all these teams and the Italians and Brazilians were so so thrilled to be on the podium. It’s always a bummer when athletes are visibly upset at being 2nd or 3rd, or even refusing to wear their medals.

    • TikiChica says:

      They were saying that the last time Italy won a silver is this event was in 1928. For Brazil, this was their first time. So yes, they were all thrilled!

      • Eleonor says:

        I am so proud of my girls 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹!
        I mean silver behind the American team 🥳🥳🥳🥳
        And the Brazilian girls amazing!

    • GoldenMom says:

      The mutual support and total sportsmanship shown by all three teams was complete and sincere – and I am here for it! Such a nice break from lunacy of 2024.

  2. Barbara says:

    Italy and Brazil were such surprises because their girls were solid while the more favored gymnasts from China had a lot of unexpected errors. It was great watching the Americans and how joyous they were!

    • Christina says:

      It wasn’t really that surprising. China had folded in the exact same way at the last two worlds and at the last Olympics. The have very high risk/high reward beam routines. This works in qualification where they can drop a score, but fails in finals where it is three up three count. Going in everyone thought that the teams with he best chance for silver and bronze would be China (if they hit), Brazil (who got silver at worlds last year) and Italy (who dominated at European Championships earlier in the year). China did not hit in finals. So none of this was surprising?

      No one was surprised about the USA crushing it, of course.

  3. Cel2495 says:

    I just love this and cried watching this as well as Sha’ Carri Richardson .

  4. Eurydice says:

    I’m so happy for all the winners. Italy hadn’t won in 96 years and this is Brazil’s first team medal.

    Simone is in all-around, vault, beam and floor finals. Suni is in all-around, beam and uneven bars, Jade is in vault and Jordan in floor.

    • Becks1 says:

      I’m getting so confused lol. So there’s the all-around to come which involves all the events, and then the individual events?

      • Visa Diva says:

        The all around is an event where the gymnasts perform on all the events. the individual events are apparatus specific.

      • Becks1 says:

        For some reason I thought the all around was just based on the team competition or something 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ But its a completely separate competition? So by the time someone like Simone Biles is done, she’ll have done some of these events multiple times over the course of the games.

        I love watching gymnastics but I’ve never really paid much attention to how the competition is set up before, lol.

      • Eurydice says:

        Yes, these are all individual medals. The top 24 from the qualifying round who have competed in all the events go into the all-around – there’s a limit of only 2 per country, so technically they’re not all in the top 24. Then the top 8 from each event in the qualifying round go into the event finals – again, with the only 2 per country rule. So, Simone will have done 4 events in qualifying, 4 in team, 4 in the all-around and then 3 more in the individual events – and she’s eligible to win 4 more medals.

  5. Laalaa says:

    Have you seen the video with them talking about which tiktoks they want to make? Brilliant!

    Congratulations to everyone!

    • Marigold says:

      That part was adorable. It’s just a reminder that they’re so young and can balance being so focused and professional with acting their ages.

      • trillion says:

        I was so thrilled to see women in gymnastics as opposed to the former norm of young girls who were trained to the point of delayed puberty.

  6. Midnight@theOasis says:

    I’m just enjoying watching women’s gymnastics. All the teams were thrilling to watch. Team USA was in the zone and they reclaimed Gold. The Italian and Brazilian teams were so ecstatic to make the podium. Brazil has some amazing gymnasts and Rebeca Andrade of Brazil is Simone’s closest competition.

  7. Hypocrisy says:

    What a beautiful podium.. I have really loved these games. Simone had tears running down my face after her performance. It’s been an emotional journey I didn’t quite expect. Congratulations to the 2024 USA women gymnastics gold medalists 👏🏼🎉🥇

    • Mil says:

      I do not even care about the OG. But i had to watch Biles. She owns every discipline. The queen👑 And her smile is so adorable♥️

  8. Becks1 says:

    Woohoo, congrats to team USA! It was fun seeing how many celebs came to see them. It looked like Jonathan Owens was tracking all the scores as it went along lol.

    I was watching yesterday and one thing that stood out to me was how supportive all the women are of each other – not just on their team, but on other teams as well. If an Italian had a good routine, Simone Biles would give her a high five. And apparently she and Rebecca Andrade from Brazil are good friends. Even on the American team they were all so happy for each other.

    I remember YEARS ago, back in Barcelona in 1992, it was a big deal because the Soviet gymnasts (I think they were still soviet at the time?) were so supportive of each other – there was this image of Tatiana Gutsu being held by…..I think Svetlana Boginskaya after she made a mistake on a routine and was visibly upset/crying, while the American team basically ignored each other.

    And now the team has a completely different vibe among the teammates.

    • Eurydice says:

      I think it’s from the change in coaching and a focus on the mental well-being of the athletes, but also that many more athletes are coming from the collegiate system, which is all about team. They compete every week during the season and there’s an emphasis on perfect execution and performance over difficulty, which is also helpful for the elite level.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Back in the day I was a big follower of womens gymnastics – Gutsu and Shannen Miller were my big faves. I also enjoyed watching Svetlana Khorkina, who although taller than most gymnasts was a great athlete. Also not forgetting some of the amazing Romanian gymnasts who were very dominant in the sport in the 80s/90s – with the likes of Alexandra Marinescu and Simona Amânar.

      Congrats to all the winners and Simone is truly a GOAT now – her achievements in the sport will take some beating.

    • lucy2 says:

      They all are supportive of each other, and happy. They’re having fun, and it shows. What an impressive group of young women.
      I was happy for Italy and Brazil too, for so many years gymnastics were dominated by China and Russia, it’s great to see other countries excel too.
      We’re so lucky to live in the era of Simone Biles. She’s truly a once in a generation athlete.

    • Sarah says:

      I loved Svetlana!! She was a beast but she wasn’t supportive she’d rip those girls apart. I will never forget her ripping her metal off in Atlanta. God she was just so intense but she was ripped from her home as a child and put in a training camp for gymnastics. My favorite American from this time was Dominique Dawes.

      I do think the US team is more of a team now, and they are built to be instead of individual athletes.

      • Becks1 says:

        I mean she was definitely the one comforting Tatiana. I found the Sports Illustrated article about it, lol.

      • Sarah says:

        I mean she isn’t a monster but she wasn’t naturally supportive. I mean there are hundreds of YouTube videos dedicated to her yelling at her team, coaches and judges. She was a competitor first, she was tough and as someone who watched her since I was a small child I remember every moment. I was obsessed. I still miss her popping up at the Olympics.

        But she was a Rasheed Wallace type player. She was glorious.

      • Christina says:

        I think you are confusing your Svetlana’s. Svetlana Khorkina was the intense one who is pretty well known for ripping of her medal in Sydney. She did not compete in Barcelona. Svetlana Boginskaya was also pretty intense, but is also known as being a supportive team mate.
        They were both pretty amazing athletes though. 🙂

  9. MsIam says:

    Congrats to Team USA and the best of luck the rest of the way! Congrats to Brazil and Italy too! ❤

  10. Krista says:

    She’s amazing on many levels. So happy for Simone.

  11. Chantal1 says:

    Yes the ladies did a fantastic job! Even when Jordan fell off the beam, our favorite hype girl got back on and did a great job of finishing her routine. She didn’t let it affect her other events either. I love their enthusiasm and how excited they were when they won. Suni stepping in for Jade on the floor exercise (Jade hadn’t been feeling well) and giving a great performance and Simone put an exclamation point on the night with her phenomenal performance! It was nice to see Mr Simone Biles there with her parents and the crowd gave her a standing ovation. I laughed when they asked what the teams’ name is and Simone finally said “F around and Find Out”. Redemption tour indeed! I was also happy Brazil won the Bronze medal as Rebeca Andrade is another phenomenal gymnast (and Simone’s closest competition). I didn’t realize that it had been such a long time since Italy had won a medal (silver) but well deserved. Wishing them all continued success and looking forward to the next upcoming events (individual and all around) for our male and female gymnasts!. Let’s go!

  12. Rnot says:

    I hope someone makes a point of revisiting all the criticism she received for prioritizing her mental health when she got the “twisties” in Tokyo a couple years back. I hope each of the nasty commenters has their words flung back in their faces. As it turns out, you don’t have to starve and over-train and isolate gymnasts to achieve peak performance. Abuse is counterproductive. Look what happens when you nurture and support them.

  13. SIde Eye says:

    Congrats to Team USA, Brazil and Italy! This was so fun to watch! Simone and the whole team were amazing.

  14. QuiteContrary says:

    I always watch Simone Biles with a dropped jaw. She is just out of this world. The whole team is glorious and they overcame so much to win the gold.

  15. Libra says:

    Admire her for her commitment to her mental health last year. Very scary situation. That she took time out to care for herself and then bounced back sends a strong message to young athletes. We see it on the local level here as well, athletes, parents and coaches are paying attention.

  16. Sarah says:

    I was so excited watching yesterday!! I love women’s gymnastics and this team is just so freaking good. Simone is other worldly, and Suni and Jordan are stars like we haven’t seen. Jade is fantastic and Hezly proves we are set up to continue to dominate when some of the greats retire.

    I can’t wait for the all around, and am still so upset for Jordan she got removed when she had the third highest score, such a stupid rule.

    I was also so happy for Brazil yesterday, especially after that really scary fall in warmups and one of them got hurt. But they got a medal it was so great to see!!

  17. Flowerlake says:

    Congratulations, Americans 🙂

    Usually, countries focus on their own athletes and barely know what’s going on with other athletes, unless they’re big fans of a sport.

    Simone Biles transcends that.

    I remember a time when 18 was considered too old for a female gymnast, so glad that is over too

  18. Walden says:

    I also want to give credit to Jordan Chiles, whom team USA relied on just as much as Simone and Suni. She may not get all the glory but she is the true definition of an all-arounder and the absolute heart of USA gymnastics. My heart broke for her when she JUST missed the all-around final due to the 2 per country rule. As a lifelong gymnastics fan, watching Jordan’s career trajectory has been so rewarding. She is incredibly talented but a history of terrible coaching situations and inconsistency always held her back. To see her absolutely flourish as an adult gymnast, now a two time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist brings tears to my eyes. I feel so lucky to watch the gymnastics that these athletes perform.

    • Sarah says:

      Jordan is amazing and I’m so upset she isn’t in the all around. She helped carry that team to gold. Her floor yesterday was perfection.

      I hope she comes back to the LA Olympics and lets that hometown (she’s a bruin) spirit really cheer her on.

  19. Lalala says:

    Our friends’ daughter is an elite gymnast and confirms all five women on this team are super-nice, supportive, and positive. I’m still a little sad that Shilese Jones got hurt at trials and Kayla DiCello didn’t get a chance at the team (also hurt), but am so proud of and happy for the ladies who made it. There was a lot of depth in the field this year and it was a fight to even get to the Olympics! Several of these women had a sub-par experience in Tokyo and I’m glad they got a do-over.

    • Lalala says:

      I meant Skye Blakely!! And Shilese, and Kayla. A lot of the girls who didn’t make the team this time will be back in 4 years. Skye was a lock until she got hurt.

  20. slippers4life says:

    Congratulations team USA! What a remarkable team and Simone Biles is a legend. 🎉