PARIS -- The smile on Simone Biles’ face at the end of her floor routine said it all.
As she blew kisses to a crowd erupting in “U-S-A, U-S-A” chants, it was clear that her score on the event was merely a formality. Performances by Biles and United States teammates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey throughout Tuesday’s women’s gymnastics team final had left little doubt about the outcome.
But moments after the 27-year-old Biles walked off the floor at Bercy Arena -- as the final gymnast on the final event of the night -- her score of 14.666 flashed on the screen and made it official: The U.S. team had won the gold medal and were back on top of the gymnastics world yet again.
“I’m just really proud of every single one of us for overcoming something before or during this trip to get where we are today,” said Carey, who battled an illness during qualifying.
With a final total score of 171.296, the Americans defeated Italy, the silver medalists, by nearly six points, and there was an almost seven-point gap to bronze medalist Brazil. It was the fourth time that the American women have claimed gold in the event, but the first since 2016.