US' Simone Biles celebrates with her gold medal during the podium ceremonny after the artistic gymnastics women's vault final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on August 3, 2024. - AFP
PARIS (AFP): Simone Biles brings the curtain down on her triumphant return to Olympic competition on Monday by looking to add two more golds to her haul for a record-equalling nine.
Four titles are up for grabs on the final day of gymnastics with Japan's newly crowned team and all-around champion Shinnosuke Oka chasing his third gold, in the horizontal bar and parallel bars.
But the American Biles, considered the greatest gymnast of all time, will doubtless be the centre of attention in front of another adoring crowd.
She competes in the finals of the balance beam and the floor exercise, and as reigning world champion on both is favourite to add to her three gold already garnered in Paris.
Biles's well-publicised troubles with the "twisties" and her withdrawal from multiple events at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 have been exorcised, and she has returned to her stunning form of the Rio 2016 Olympics, where won four gold.
In Paris, the 27-year-old Texan has already hoovered up team gold with the United States, become the first gymnast to recapture the all-around crown, and soared to the vault title.
"I'm super-excited to be on this stage again," said Biles, who won plaudits in Tokyo for talking openly about her mental health.
"After all these years of putting the mental work in, it's paid off.
"I did see my therapist the other day. We're taking it day by day to see if I need any extra therapy while I'm here, but so far it's good."
She added: "Once we're out here, the floor is our stage. It feels so freeing for us because we're in our element, we're having fun, we're doing what we love to do."
Biles led the way in qualifying on the floor and was second in the balance beam behind China's Zhou Yaqin, the world silver medallist on the apparatus.
Brazil's Rebeca Andrade qualified third on the balance beam and second behind Biles on the floor, and will be looking for her fourth medal in Paris, but first gold.
Biles's teammates Sunisa Lee, on the balance beam, and Jordan Chiles, on the floor exercise, will also be challengers.
But Biles will be expected to win both, which would take her overall tally of golds to nine, level with Soviet great Larisa Latynina in the women's gymnastics history books.
In the men's competition, China are well positioned to shine on the parallel bar and horizontal bar.
China's Zhang Boheng led qualifying on the horizontal bar with defending champion Daiki Hashimoto of Japan failing to reach the eight-man final.
Zhang has two silvers in Paris, in the team and all-around, with teammate Su Weide also competing in the horizontal bar final. Japan's Oka and Takaaki Sugino are also in action.
In parallel bars, China's Zou Jingyuan is favourite to defend his Olympic title after leading qualifying ahead of Zhang and Oka. - AFP
