Tokyo 2020 is finally underway after a long delay due to the pandemic outbreak last year. Now that the ultimate sports event has already started, all the sights are set on Simone Biles, who had an outstanding performance at the last Olympics.
The American artistic gymnast has impressed everyone at Río 2016, confirming she was set to be one of the greatest or even the best of all time. Biles, 24, has collected five medals in the last Olympic Games.
That time, she had her first Summer Olympics appearance at only 19 years of age. Now, she heads into the greatest sports contest in the world with the chance of making history by breaking these two records:
First American woman in any sport to win 5 gold medals at a single Olympics
Simone Biles has certainly made an impression in her first Olympic Games, as she proved to be one of the most dominating artistic gymnasts of all time. At Río 2016, she won four gold medals (team, vault, floor, all-around) and a bronze in balance beam.
Five years later, Simone Biles is once again favorite to retain her gold medals and also to add the one she is missing in balance beam events. Of course, that would be an unprecedented feat that would make her the first American woman ever to win five gold medals at a single Olympic Games.
First woman to win back-to-back Olympic all-around titles since 1968
Whether she ends up collecting the five medals or not, truth is that only one gold medal would be enough for her to make history. Simone Biles can become the first female gymnast since 1968 to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals.
In Olympics history, only two female gymnasts have accomplished such feat: Larisa Latynina, by winning gold both in 1956 and 1960, and Vera Caslavska, who was an Olympic champion both in 1964 and 1968.
