Biles, Simone

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    Paris, Uncharacteristically Giddy, Bids Au Revoir to the Olympics

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    A joyous Games, a cleaned-up Seine and improvements to the region brought cheer to Parisians as they handed off the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles.There were French firemen flipping like acrobats, a musician playing a piano that hung vertically in the air, and Olympic athletes overwhelming the stage and forming a mosh pit around the French electro-pop band Phoenix.The Paris Olympics ended much as they began, with a raucous spectacle before a joyous crowd, a generous supply of strobe lights, smoke and fireworks. And then the actor Tom Cruise rappelled off the stadium roof to collect the Olympic flag from the gymnast Simone Biles and carry it off on his motorcycle, à la “Top Gun” and “Mission: Impossible” to Los Angeles, where the next summer Olympics is set to take place in 2028.“Together, we have experienced the Games like nothing we have ever lived before,” said Tony Estanguet, the president of the Paris Olympics organizing committee, adding that of all the records broken, among them was one for marriage proposals. “From one day to the next, time stood still and a whole country got goose bumps.”As Paris bids au revoir to the Olympic Games, many are reluctant to let go of its magic: of the adrenaline-fueled excitement, of the party free of political debate, of the sense of time deliciously suspended, like the glowing Olympic cauldron that has hovered wistfully over the city every night.The beach volleyball venue became one of the most popular, and most photographed, at the Games.Daniel Berehulak/The New York TimesThe Olympic cauldron hovering over the city.Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      How Did Simone Biles Become the G.O.A.T.?

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      To end the Olympics she once thought would never happen for her, Simone Biles began her floor exercise routine on Monday and did what she was made to do: flip and twist and thrill an arena filled with people there to watch her.Every time Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, landed one of her wildly difficult tumbling passes, the crowd seemed to shout, “Wow!” all at once. And when she was done, standing alone on the floor in her sparkly leotard, the spectators rose to honor her — perhaps as much for her entire career as for a brilliant but flawed floor routine.Biles stepped out of bounds twice during the routine, which was by far the most difficult that any of the finalists attempted. As a result, she did not win, as expected. Instead, she received the silver medal, while Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, her rival, won the gold by just over three one hundredths of a point. The American Jordan Chiles, one of Biles’s closest friends, won the bronze.When Chiles’s bronze medal was announced, she cried — and Biles smiled and laughed while hugging her.Three years earlier, Biles withdrew from nearly all of her events at the Tokyo Games after becoming disoriented in the air, a moment that prompted her to consider quitting the sport. On Monday, she finished the Paris Games with three gold medals and one silver. (Earlier in the day, she finished fifth on the balance beam after losing points because of a fall.)Her imperfect final performances did little to dull her luster at these Games. On each day she competed, celebrities dotted the stands, making gymnastics — already a marquee sport of the Olympics — seem like the hippest club in Paris. There were Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise and Ariana Grande, and sports legends like Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and Stephen Curry. After a day at the water polo venue, Flavor Flav, the rapper, said how much he admired Biles and wanted “to meet her, shake her hand and give her a hug and tell her how proud I am of her.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      JD Vance queda bajo el foco por críticas a los ‘momentos más débiles’ de Simone Biles

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      Mientras muchos aplaudían a la campeona olímpica por haber priorizado su salud mental en 2021, el hoy candidato republicano a la vicepresidencia dijo en ese momento que los medios celebraban la debilidad.[Estamos en WhatsApp. Empieza a seguirnos ahora]El senador JD Vance, de Ohio, candidato republicano a la vicepresidencia, está siendo objeto de un nuevo escrutinio debido a declaraciones que hizo en el pasado, afirmando que la gimnasta estadounidense Simone Biles, quien el jueves ganó otra medalla de oro en los Juegos Olímpicos, había mostrado debilidad al retirarse de la edición anterior del evento por un problema de salud mental.Durante una aparición en Fox News en 2021, Vance cuestionó que Biles estuviera recibiendo elogios por haber salido de la competición en los Juegos de Tokio.“Creo que el hecho de que intentemos alabar a las personas, no por sus momentos de fortaleza, no por sus momentos de heroísmo, sino por sus momentos más débiles, hace que nuestra sociedad, digamos, terapéutica, se vea muy mal”, dijo Vance, quien en ese momento se postulaba para el Senado.Ahora que tanto Vance como Biles se encuentran de nuevo bajo los reflectores, los demócratas estaban ansiosos por destacar estos comentarios. Aida Ross, vocera del Comité Nacional Demócrata, afirmó el jueves que Vance no estaba “en posición de hablar de los ‘momentos más débiles’ de nadie”.“Mientras el resto del país celebra la actuación del equipo femenino de gimnasia de EE. UU. en los Juegos Olímpicos, JD Vance se enfrenta a su momento más débil en medio de un lanzamiento lleno de tropiezos que lo ha hecho el candidato a vicepresidente más impopular en décadas”, dijo.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Here’s how Simone Biles and her American teammates stormed into the finals.

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      The U.S. women’s gymnastics team qualified for Tuesday’s team final with a solid performance on Sunday, led by Simone Biles — competing on a taped leg — and Sunisa Lee.Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesThe United States started off with some nerves on the balance beam, with wobbles from Lee, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera. But Biles nailed her routine, positioning her to qualify for the beam final — potentially with Lee — after the rest of the field competes later on Sunday.Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesChang W. Lee/The New York TimesAfter Biles warmed up on floor exercise, she had her leg examined and taped. But she gave her usual explosive performance — complete with two passes named for her, including a triple-twisting double back flip — and her coach said later that the injury wasn’t serious. Biles was poised to qualify for the floor final, possibly with Chiles.Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York TimesBiles competed her namesake Yurchenko double pike, the most difficult vault in the world, and a second vault called a Cheng. She was well positioned to qualify for the final along with her teammate Jade Carey.Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesGabriela Bhaskar for The New York TimesLee led the U.S. on the uneven bars, where she won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and is likely to qualify for the final. Her routine also carried her narrowly past Chiles for a spot in the all-around final alongside Biles.Chang W. Lee/The New York Times More

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      Your Guide to Olympic Gymnastics: Vault

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      Want to follow the women’s gymnastics competition in Paris, but don’t understand the skills or how they’re scored? Here’s a guide.For two weeks every four years, women’s gymnastics is one of the biggest sports in the world. The rest of the time, those of us watching are kind of a niche group.That can make it hard to fully appreciate what you’re seeing when the athletes take the Olympic stage. If you want to know what’s required on each apparatus, or what that skill you saw was, or how to distinguish good routines from great ones, we’re here to help.Here, we’ll look at the vault, starting with a broad overview and then moving into the technical details. We also have guides to the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.The basicsGymnasts sprint down an 82-foot runway, use a springboard to propel themselves onto the vault (sometimes called the vaulting table or just the table), push themselves into the air and perform flips and twists before landing on the mat.Many gymnasts, mainly those who don’t specialize in the event, complete only one vault. But those who want to qualify for the vault final must attempt two, and their methods must be from different “families.” (More on that later.)Gymnasts receive one score for difficulty and one for execution, and the two are combined. A gymnast who performs a difficult vault with some flaws can outscore one who does an easier vault cleanly. And while landing errors may be the easiest to spot, what happens in midair is just as important: A gymnast who takes a step but has impeccable form can score more highly than one who sticks the landing but has sloppy form.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Your Guide to Olympic Gymnastics: Floor Exercise

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      Want to follow the women’s gymnastics competition in Paris, but don’t understand the skills or how they’re scored? Here’s a guide.For two weeks every four years, women’s gymnastics is one of the biggest sports in the world. The rest of the time, those of us watching are kind of a niche group.That can make it hard to fully appreciate what you’re seeing when the athletes take the Olympic stage. If you want to know what’s required on each apparatus or how to distinguish good routines from great ones, we’re here to help.Here, we’ll look at the floor exercise, starting with a broad overview and then moving into technical details. We also have guides to the vault, uneven bars and balance beam.The basicsThe square floor mat is about 40 feet on each side, which makes the diagonal paths along which gymnasts tumble about 56 feet. A carpeted surface covers a layer of foam, over wood, over springs. The slight bounce of those springs allows gymnasts to do more difficult skills.Every floor routine must include:A flip with a twist of at least 360 degreesA double back flip, with or without twistsBackward and forward tumblingTwo leaps or hops in succession, either directly connected or with running steps in between. One must involve a 180-degree split.Floor routines, set to music of the gymnast’s choice — no lyrics allowed — last about 90 seconds and include three or four tumbling passes. Gymnasts generally do their most difficult passes first. They receive one score for difficulty and one for execution, and the two are added.Unlike the vault, which showcases pure power, the floor exercise combines power with artistry. In practice, though, some gymnasts don’t put as much effort into their choreography. But when a gymnast really puts on a performance, you can tell.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Your Guide to Olympic Gymnastics: Balance Beam

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      Want to follow the women’s gymnastics competition in Paris, but don’t understand the skills or how they’re scored? Here’s a guide.For two weeks every four years, women’s gymnastics is one of the biggest sports in the world. The rest of the time, those of us watching are kind of a niche group.That can make it hard to fully appreciate what you’re seeing when the athletes take the Olympic stage. If you want to know what’s required on each apparatus or how to distinguish good routines from great ones, we’re here to help.Here, we’ll look at the balance beam, starting with a broad overview and then moving into the technical details. We also have guides to the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise.The basicsThe beam is about 16 feet long, about four feet high and about four inches wide — not much wider than a credit card.Every routine must include:A successive series of two or more acrobatic skills (handsprings or flips). At least one must be a salto, meaning no hands.Two or more consecutive dance skills (turns, leaps or jumps). At least one must be a leap or jump featuring a 180-degree split.Acrobatic skills in multiple directions (backward versus forward or sideways).At least one turn or pirouette.Gymnasts receive one score for difficulty and one for execution, and the two are combined for their final score. In the best beam routines, the gymnast has no wobbles and, of course, no falls. (In reality, small balance checks are common.) Judges also deduct for poor form and excessive pauses between skills.The reigning Olympic champion is Guan Chenchen of China, and the reigning world champion is Simone Biles of the United States.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Justice Dept. Nears $100 Million Settlement to Larry Nassar Victims Over FBI Failures

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      The deal, which could be announced in coming weeks, would bring an end to one of the last major cases stemming from a horrific sports scandal.The Justice Department is nearing a $100 million settlement over its initial failure to investigate Lawrence G. Nassar, the former U.S.A. Gymnastics team doctor convicted of sexually abusing girls under his care, according to people familiar with the situation.The deal, which could be announced in coming weeks, would bring an end to one of the last major cases stemming from a horrific sports scandal, with around 100 victims in line to receive compensation.The approach of a settlement comes two and a half years after senior F.B.I. officials publicly admitted that agents had failed to take quick action when U.S. national team athletes complained about Mr. Nassar to the bureau’s Indianapolis field office in 2015, when Mr. Nassar was a respected physician known for working with Olympians and college athletes. He has been accused of abusing more than 150 women and girls over the years.The broad outline of the deal is in place, but it has not yet been completed, according to several people with knowledge of the talks, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss continuing negotiations.The details of the settlement deal were reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.It would be the latest in a series of big payouts that reflect the inability of institutions to protect hundreds of athletes — including the Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman — from a doctor who justified his serial sexual abuse by claiming he was using unconventional treatments.In 2018, Michigan State University, which employed Mr. Nassar, paid more than $500 million into a victim compensation fund, believed to be the largest settlement by a university in a sexual abuse case. Three years later, U.S.A. Gymnastics and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee reached a $380 million settlement.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More