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Four on the floor! Biles bows out with gold

August 16, 2016

US gymnast Simone Biles has equaled a women's gymnastics record, claiming her fourth gold from a single Olympic Games. The 19-year-old scored 15.966, sharing the podium with a countrywoman and a Brit.

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Olympia Rio 2016 Bodenturnen Simone Biles
Image: Reuters/M. Blake

After her slip on the beam and resultant bronze on Monday, Simone Biles returned to winning ways for her curtain call at the 2016 Olympics.

In her final event, Biles combined spectactular tumbles with a gracious floor routine to score 15.966 and claim gold. Her routine even included a Brazilian-themed segment to play to the home crowd.

Aly Raisman completed the US one-two by scoring 15.500, while British 16-year-old Amy Tinkler claimed bronze with a cheeky routine to the tune "Pretty Woman."

"It's very crazy," Biles said. "To think what I've done, its been an amazing experience and I don't think I could be more proud of myself."

"I'm a little bit relieved because it's been a long journey," she added. "I've enjoyed every single moment of it and I know our team has.

"It's been very long and, competing so many times this week, it kind of got tiring We just wanted to end on a good note."

Biles joins a list of four female gymnasts to win four gold medals in a single Olympics, although she is also the first to do so since Vera Caslavska in 1968, competing for the former Czechoslovakia.

As well as a team gold for the "Final Five," Biles also snagged gold in the all-around competition and on the vault, plus her bronze on the beam. She ran to embrace longstanding coach Aimee Boorman shortly after her routine; one of her floor moves is named in Boorman's honor.

msh/apc (AFP, AP, Reuters)