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Simone Biles wins gold in Olympic all-around, Aly Raisman silver for U.S. 1-2

 
United States' Simone Biles, left, and Aly Raisman celebrate after winning gold and silver respectively for the artistic gymnastics women's individual all-around final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday. [AP photo]
United States' Simone Biles, left, and Aly Raisman celebrate after winning gold and silver respectively for the artistic gymnastics women's individual all-around final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday. [AP photo]
Published Aug. 12, 2016

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Simone Biles and Aly Raisman stood side by side in Rio Olympic Arena, clutching each other while waiting for the inevitable coronation.

When the floor exercise judges validated what Raisman and every other gymnast has known for years — that Biles is the greatest of her generation and perhaps of all time — Raisman, the U.S. Olympic team captain, let her good friend go.

Suddenly Biles was alone in the spotlight, the normally giggly 19-year-old fighting back tears as she waved to the family that raised her, the coaches that molded her and the sport she is redefining.

The secret out. The pressure is gone. Biles belongs to the world now.

And history, too.

Biles soared to the Olympic all-around title Thursday, putting the gap between herself and everyone else on full display for the whole world to see. Her total of 62.198 points was well clear of Raisman, who finished her remarkable comeback with a silver medal, and Russia's Aliya Mustafina in third.

Biles' win by 2.1 points was bigger than the all-around margin of victory from 1980-2012 combined.

"It doesn't even feel real," Biles said. "To me I'm just the same Simone. … But I feel the same. I just feel like I did my job (Thursday)."

Biles is the fourth straight American woman to capture the all-around and fifth overall. She and Raisman joined Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson in 2008 as the only U.S. gymnasts to win gold and silver in the same Olympic final.

A three-time medalist in 2012 — including gold in the team and floor exercise — Raisman appeared to be on the outside of the picture looking in last fall after a shaky performance at the World Championships left her "devastated."

Yet there she was 10 months later, standing on the podium with her fifth Olympic medal around her neck, the 22-year-old called "Grandma" by her teammates getting a measure of revenge after losing bronze in the 2012 all-around final to Mustafina on a tiebreaker.

"It made me not think about things too much and made me more confident," Raisman said.

Gold had been out of reach for everyone but Biles for three years and counting. She arrived in Brazil with 14 World Championship medals — 10 of them gold, including the past three all-around titles — with routines astonishing in their mix of ambition and precision.

Though Mustafina led through two rotations, it was a mirage. Balance beam and floor exercise — where Biles is the defending world champion — lay in wait. She went back in front with 15.433 on beam and capped it with a 15.933 on floor that U.S. team coordinator Martha Karolyi called "very close to perfection."

Biles can add three more golds to her all-around and team titles during the event finals next week. Five trips to the top of the podium in one games is something gymnastics has never seen.

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Then again, doing things gymnastics has never seen is what Biles does best.