News

Simone Biles Just Keeps Getting Better & Better

by Andi O'Rourke

Arguably the favorite to win the remaining gymnastics events, 19-year-old U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles keeps getting better and better. On Sunday, Aug. 14, she took to the podium once again at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics after winning gold in the vault event. Nabbing her third gold medal in her debut appearance at the games, the unstoppable force has set a high bar for the rest of the sport. A timeline of her stellar scores at three World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the 2016 Rio Olympics is proof that the U.S. gymnast is just getting started.

With her gold medal in the vault making her the first American woman ever to take first place in that event, Biles has kept her winning streak going at Rio. Unbelievably, the diminutive powerhouse could potentially walk away with five golds. She's still got two more events to compete in, the balance beam and the floor exercise.

Even with three Olympic golds under her belt, this isn't her first taste of success. Her scores keep improving, and are setting a completely new standard for the rest of the sport. In fact, 10 out of her 14 medals from the World Gymnastics Championships are golds, and both of her medals from the Pacific Rim Championships were golds, as well. But check out how her combined scores keep evolving — even as scoring the sport becomes more complex and more demanding.

There's no doubt that this is could be the beginning of a phenomenal, record-shattering career on the Olympic stage. The teenager isn't likely to retire anytime soon. It seems like for the immediate future, the only question that will be up in the air (just like the artistic ace) is just how quickly her scores will keep improving — and by how much.

So, will Biles continue to improve on her already intimidating scores? All signs point to yes. Whether or not her competition is able to keep up — well, that is another matter entirely. Athletes from Russia, South Korea, Germany, and Switzerland all gave Team USA a real run for their money across the board. For now, however, it looks as if retiring Team USA gymnastics coordinator Martha Karolyi's national strategy has definitely paid off; Simone Biles, and the rest of Team USA, have given groundbreaking performances throughout the duration of the Olympics, only building suspense for what's to come.