Largely considered the ‘Greatest Of All Time,’ or G.O.A.T., in gymnastics, Simone Biles competed in the women's all-around in Paris, taking home yet another gold medal. However, it’s not her Olympic medal that has everyone talking, but rather her diamond goat necklace she put on immediately after winning.
Millions tuned in to watch Simone Biles make history at the Paris Olympics as she won her gold medal in the women's all-around gymnastics competition, making her the most decorated gymnast of all time. To celebrate an impressive meet, her second gold medal of these games, and her new record, she put on the fun diamond goat necklace that has people talking.
Simone Biles Wins Yet Another Gold In The All-Around Competition
For those who aren’t well-versed in how gymnastics works, the all-around competition sees the top 24 athletes from the competition compete against each other on all four apparatuses. Biles qualified in the first place position alongside her fellow Team USA member Sunisa Lee, who edged out Jordan Chiles (to the disappointment of many including Michael Jordan) for the second spot.
Biles was in first place after her performance on the vault, but an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars had her sitting just outside of a podium spot, with her biggest competitor, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, taking the top spot. So, Biles headed into the balance beam round as the underdog.
Thankfully, the world-renowned gymnast managed to regroup and executed a near-perfect performance to reclaim the top spot before heading into the floor portion of the competition. With a higher start value than the rest of the competition, all Biles had to do was land her tricks in-bounds, and she’d win. The G.O.A.T. did just that, becoming the first gymnast to win two non-consecutive Olympic all-around titles (she won her other gold medal in this event at the Rio Games).
Andrade took home her second consecutive silver medal, and Lee clinched the Bronze. It was the first time in Olympic history that the podium included three women who had previously won medals in the competition.
But It’s Her Goat Necklace That Has Everyone Talking
Winning her sixth Olympic gold medal is a historic feat, but it’s her diamond goat necklace that teammate Chiles brought down to the floor after the competition that has the internet talking. In an interview with BBC, Biles explained what the necklace means to her:
It's a little ode, I mean a lot of people love it, they always call me the G.O.A.T so I thought it would be really special if I got one made. And the haters hate it so I love that even more and it's just a special part of me that I have here, as well as in the village I have like a stuffed goat, just to get a reminder: 'You can go out there, you can do it, you've done it before, so let's go.'
One doesn’t become the greatest of all time in their sport without acquiring some haters along the way, but Biles seems to attract more than most dominant athletes. After a case of the “twisties” had her pull out of several competitions at the Tokyo Olympics, many haters called for her G.O.A.T. status to be revoked. On top of that, Biles has responded to criticism from her former teammate MyKayla Skinner, who criticized the state of gymnastics and the “lack of talent” amongst the Olympic team.
A few years ago, Biles may have let the negative comments get to her, but after stepping away to take care of her mental health, she seems to easily brush the comments aside. Not only that, but she’s in a place where she feels comfortable egging the haters on by showing off her one-of-a-kind, iconic necklace.
While Biles has already earned two gold medals at the Paris Olympics, she’s not done just yet. She will compete in the vault finals on Saturday, August 3, and on Monday, August 5, she’ll compete in the balance beam and floor finals. You can stream all three with a Peacock subscription. And don’t forget to catch the rest of the events at this year’s Olympics.
You can also learn more about Biles and her road to the Paris Olympics by streaming her documentary Rising with a Netflix subscription.
