Biles wins vault for third gold
Biles wins vault for third gold
August 16, 2016 | 12:01 AM
United States’ Simone Biles, gold medal winner for vault, waves to the audience as she walks with silver medalist Russia’s Maria Paseka (front) and bronze medalist Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio Sunday. — AP
August 16, 2016 | 12:01 AM
Last Updated: August 16, 2016 | 12:01 AM
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[caption id="attachment_77160" align="alignleft"]
United States’ Simone Biles, gold medal winner for vault, waves to the audience as she walks with silver medalist Russia’s Maria Paseka (front) and bronze medalist Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio Sunday. — AP[/caption]RIO DE JANEIRO — Gold medals for Britain in Olympic gymnastics are like London buses — you wait 120 years for one and then two come along at once — with Max Whitlock ending the long wait for a champion by claiming victory in the floor exercise and pommel horse finals.
While the two top prizes saw Whitlock match Kohei Uchimura’s gold haul at the Rio Games, with the Japanese great failing to add to his team and all around triumphs as he missed out on a medal in the floor final, there was no stopping Simone Biles.
The 19-year-old American made it three golds from three finals as she beat world champion Maria Paseka of Russia with a score of 15.966 from her two soaring vaults.
Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber pipped India’s Dipa Karmakar by 0.15 of a point to take bronze.
There were no medals for Uzbekistan’s Oksana Chusovitina as she finished seventh in what organizers thought would be the 41-year-old’s seventh and final Olympic outing.
A showreel highlighting her 24-year run in the Games got loud applause and she blew kisses after her hopes of becoming the oldest gymnast to win a medal ended with a forward roll on the crash mat after she over-rotated on her Produnova vault.
Paseka’s Russian compatriot Aliya Mustafina finally ended the American women’s stranglehold on the gymnastics at these Games when she captured the asymmetric bars gold for a second successive Olympics with a routine full of grace and power.
Until Mustafina mounted the bars, the US had swept the board as Biles scooped the team, all around and vault golds.
In the only final not featuring Biles, her teammate and world champion Madison Kocian hoped to continue the American gold rush as she had earned the highest score in qualifying but she could not beat Mustafina’s 15.900 and settled for silver.
An anthem never played at an Olympic gymnastics arena was heard twice Sunday as Whitlock first beat a field that included twice world floor champion Kenzo Shirai and Uchimura to win the floor gold before swivelling to the top of the podium again with a smooth and silky pommel horse performance.
Whitlock produced a series of gravity-defying tumbles on the floor to win gold with a score of 15.633.
[caption id="attachment_77161" align="alignright"]
Britain’s Max Whitlock celebrates after winning the men’s pommel horse event at the Olympic Arena in Rio Sunday. — AFP[/caption]Sentimental Brazilian favorite Diego Hypolito, 30, showed there were plenty of explosive tumbles left in him as the 2005 and 2007 floor world champion burst into tears on taking silver.
There was more joy for the home fans as Arthur Mariano picked up the bronze.
Less than two hours after earning Britain’s first gold, Whitlock was again on top in his specialist pommel horse event with a score of 15.966. It was his third medal in Rio as he also won a bronze in the all around competition.
Louis Smith completed a one-two for Britain as he won a second successive Olympic silver in the discipline with 15.833.
United States’ Simone Biles, gold medal winner for vault, waves to the audience as she walks with silver medalist Russia’s Maria Paseka (front) and bronze medalist Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio Sunday. — AP[/caption]RIO DE JANEIRO — Gold medals for Britain in Olympic gymnastics are like London buses — you wait 120 years for one and then two come along at once — with Max Whitlock ending the long wait for a champion by claiming victory in the floor exercise and pommel horse finals.
While the two top prizes saw Whitlock match Kohei Uchimura’s gold haul at the Rio Games, with the Japanese great failing to add to his team and all around triumphs as he missed out on a medal in the floor final, there was no stopping Simone Biles.
The 19-year-old American made it three golds from three finals as she beat world champion Maria Paseka of Russia with a score of 15.966 from her two soaring vaults.
Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber pipped India’s Dipa Karmakar by 0.15 of a point to take bronze.
There were no medals for Uzbekistan’s Oksana Chusovitina as she finished seventh in what organizers thought would be the 41-year-old’s seventh and final Olympic outing.
A showreel highlighting her 24-year run in the Games got loud applause and she blew kisses after her hopes of becoming the oldest gymnast to win a medal ended with a forward roll on the crash mat after she over-rotated on her Produnova vault.
Paseka’s Russian compatriot Aliya Mustafina finally ended the American women’s stranglehold on the gymnastics at these Games when she captured the asymmetric bars gold for a second successive Olympics with a routine full of grace and power.
Until Mustafina mounted the bars, the US had swept the board as Biles scooped the team, all around and vault golds.
In the only final not featuring Biles, her teammate and world champion Madison Kocian hoped to continue the American gold rush as she had earned the highest score in qualifying but she could not beat Mustafina’s 15.900 and settled for silver.
An anthem never played at an Olympic gymnastics arena was heard twice Sunday as Whitlock first beat a field that included twice world floor champion Kenzo Shirai and Uchimura to win the floor gold before swivelling to the top of the podium again with a smooth and silky pommel horse performance.
Whitlock produced a series of gravity-defying tumbles on the floor to win gold with a score of 15.633.
[caption id="attachment_77161" align="alignright"]
Britain’s Max Whitlock celebrates after winning the men’s pommel horse event at the Olympic Arena in Rio Sunday. — AFP[/caption]Sentimental Brazilian favorite Diego Hypolito, 30, showed there were plenty of explosive tumbles left in him as the 2005 and 2007 floor world champion burst into tears on taking silver.
There was more joy for the home fans as Arthur Mariano picked up the bronze.
Less than two hours after earning Britain’s first gold, Whitlock was again on top in his specialist pommel horse event with a score of 15.966. It was his third medal in Rio as he also won a bronze in the all around competition.
Louis Smith completed a one-two for Britain as he won a second successive Olympic silver in the discipline with 15.833. 
