The American female gymnasts have been on a roll in Paris as they aim to sweep the Gold in all categories. Aiming for redemption after a tough Tokyo Olympics, 27-year-old Simone Biles is performing at the peak of her abilities, adding a new feather to her cap. On the other hand, Sunisa Lee has been performing equally well, further asserting the dominance of the American contingent.
With both the athletes Qualifying for the finals, an unprecedented first has happened in Paris. For the first time in the history of Women’s Gymnastics, two Olympic All-Around champions are set to go head-to-head against each other for the title.
Biles won the accolade in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, while Lee took over the title in Tokyo in 2020. As such, the battle will also be for bragging rights, given they are the two latest winners of the title.
For the first time, two Olympic all-around champions will go head-to-head in the all-around final — and they’re both from the same country.
Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee will make history regardless of where they finish in the all-around final competition. https://t.co/0kw6hfM3NV
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 28, 2024
Sunday’s qualification round saw Simone Biles finish first overall with a points tally of 59.566. Meanwhile, Sunisa Lee took third place with 56.132 points to her name. For Lee, it all came down to her routine on the Bars, where she edged out teammate Jordan Chiles by 0.067 points to take the lead.
Chiles ended up finishing fourth with 56.065 points but will still not be able to compete in the all-around finals. The decision stems from a ruling that allows only two athletes from each country to partake in the final rounds. Given Lee’s status as the defending champion and Biles’ overall ranking, Chiles had to see herself miss out on a chance to gun for Gold in the AA category.
Fans react as Biles and Lee go head-to-head at the Paris Olympics
With two of gymnastics’ greatest athletes ready to battle it out for the Olympic title, fans failed to contain their excitement. Taking to X, they detailed what an “amazing” sight it is to see Biles and Lee fight for the win.
Both amazing and talented elite gymnasts!!! They got this!!! So proud of you girls!!! I knew you could do it!! ❤️❤️
— Stephanie Krtanjek (@StephNicoleKay) July 28, 2024
It would be amazing to see them both on the podium ❤️
— Hales (@haleyywhitt) July 28, 2024
Suni winning would be like Simone passing the torch down as I expect this may be her last Olympics
— (@Cyberbitch_1) July 28, 2024
What a time to be alive
— sportsfix (@needasportsfix) July 28, 2024
In what might be her last Olympics, Simone Biles will be looking to go out with a bang and add to her already massive medals tally. Meanwhile, Sunisa Lee won’t be making her teammate’s life easier at the games as she would want to defend her title with all her might.
