Paris Olympics Day 6: Simone Biles shines for all-around gold; Summer McIntosh wins another medal
By STEPHEN WHYNO, AP Sports Writer
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles dazzled once again while winning the gold in women’s all-around gymnastics at the Paris Olympics, becoming the oldest woman to accomplish the feat since 1952.
The 27-year-old Biles nailed her floor exercise to edge Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade by 1.199 points in one of the tightest victories of her decorated career. She became the first woman to win the all-around gymnastics gold at nonconsecutive Olympics, having previously done so at the 2016 Rio Games.
“I’ve never had an athlete this close,” Biles said. “It brought out the best athlete in myself.”
It’s the sixth Olympic gold medal for Biles, the most of any U.S. gymnast; she picked up her fifth in the team competition earlier in the week. Teammate Sunisa Lee, the defending all-around champion from Tokyo, was third for the bronze.
Summer’s Games
Summer McIntosh, Canada’s 17-year-old swimming sensation, claimed her second gold medal of the Olympics with another strong performance, romping to victory in the 200-meter butterfly and dealing Regan Smith of the U.S. another runner-up finish.
“It means the world,” McIntosh said. “That was definitely one of my favorite races.”
McIntosh finished in 2:03.03 to set an Olympic record, breaking the mark set by China’s Zhang Yufei three years ago in Tokyo. She also won gold in the 400-meter individual medley and took home silver in the 400-meter freestyle.
Kate Douglass of the United States won gold in the 200-meter breaststroke in a race that was something of a changing of the guard. Longtime American star Lilly King, competing in her last Olympics, was last in the final.
In the final swimming event of the night, Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus won the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay in an Olympic-record time, narrowly missing the world record. Claire Weinstein, Paige Madden, Katie Ledecky and Erin Gemmell got the U.S. silver, and China finished with bronze.
U.S. beats Belgium
The U.S. women’s basketball team clinched a spot in the quarterfinals by beating Belgium 87-74. Breanna Stewart led all scorers with 26 points, while A’ja Wilson had 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The U.S. women are on a 57-game Olympic winning streak that dates to Barcelona in 1992.
Women’s tennis upset
Top-ranked women’s tennis player Iga Swiatek does not lose a whole lot in Paris. She has won the French Open each of the past three years and four times in the past five.
Swiatek’s lengthy winning streak in Paris ended with a surprising 6-2, 7-5 loss to China’s Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals. The 23-year-old from Poland had won 25 consecutive matches at Roland Garros.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain became the youngest man to reach the singles semifinals at a Summer Games since Novak Djokovic in 2008. After beating American Tommy Paul, Alcaraz will next face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who knocked off three-time major runner-up Casper Ruud of Norway.
Djokovic overcame problems with his surgically repaired right knee and erased a big deficit in the second set to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (3). He is into the Olympic semifinals for the fourth time as he tries to collect his first gold medal.
Next up for Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia with 24 Grand Slam titles, is Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Friday. Musetti advanced with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Tokyo Games gold medalist Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Thursday also brought to an end the career of Andy Murray, who along with Britain partner Dan Evans was knocked out of doubles play with a loss to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
U.S. rowing gold
Liam Corrigan, Justin Best, Michael Grady and Nick Mead made a little history, winning the first U.S. rowing gold medal in the men’s four class since 1960. The U.S. held off New Zealand and defending world champion Britain, finishing in 5:49.03.
“It’s literally unbelievable,” Corrigan said. “I crossed the line, I thought I was going to have some kind of celebration, but I was just in disbelief, like my hands were on my head. It was just crazy.”
All four Americans were at the Tokyo Games three years ago but left without any medals. Corrigan, Best, Grady and Mead have been together since last season. The last time the U.S. won an Olympic medal of any color in men’s four rowing was in 2012 in London.