Simone Biles has won the gold medal in the women's vault at the Paris Olympics as she bravely avenged her woes at the previous Games to prevail in the French capital.
The 27-year-old's legacy as one of America's greatest ever sporting figures has been reinforced as she extended her record as the most decorated gymnast in her country's history. The gold medal in the women's vault is her third of the summer, having already also prevailed in the team and all-round events.
In her first vault, Biles recorded a score of 15.700, with a spectacular performance before another incredible showing in her second effort as she scored 14.900. Altogether, that meant she recorded a vault total score of 15.300 to secure the top prize at the event in yet another sublime showing .
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Biles' key competition on the day came from the Brazilian talent Rebeca Andrade, who put in a sterling effort of her own to score 15.100 in her first vault. Her showing on vault 2 then earned her a score of 14.833, which brought her total to 14.966 to earn her the silver medal.
Meanwhile, Biles' compatriot Jade Carey also had cause for celebration after earning bronze after an excellent performance in Paris. Her vault total was 14.466 after her first vault came in at 14.733 and her second came in at 14.200.
The tenth gold in her storied career, the Team USA icon's triumph in the women's vault comes after she withdrew from the event three years ago in Tokyo. Following that battle with "The Twisties", Biles has fought back to prominence - including becoming the first American to earn two Olympic all-around titles in history in Paris.
Speaking previously, she detailed the regard she is held in among her peers, explaining that she is referred to as "The GOAT (Greatest of All Time) - even donning a necklace bearing a goat in homage to her nickname. She said: "It's a little ode... a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT, so I thought it would be really special if I got one made.
"The haters hate it, but I like that even more. It's just a special part of me that I have here," she continued, before adding: "In the [athletes'] village I have a stuffed goat. Just to get a reminder, like 'You can go out there, you can do it. You've done it before. So let's go'."
Speaking on her previous win in the all-round event at the Games , she said: "I just couldn’t believe that I did it. I know that I did it, but I don’t think it’s hit me just yet. It will probably hit me whenever I go back to the [Olympic Village].
She added: "I’m just ecstatic with my performances tonight. And we still have three finals left for me. Now it’s time to have fun and the hard part is over."
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