Members of the U.S. women's gymnastics team, from left, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee pose for a photo Sunday in Paris, France. (Naomi Baker / Getty Images)

'The Redemption Tour' Is Over: Did Simone Biles and Team USA Fix Past Failures?

By Bryan Chai July 30, 2024 at 2:25pm

Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s national gymnastics team are on top of the world — a familiar spot, to say the least.

Biles and teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Hezly Rivera took home the gold on Tuesday, capping off a whirlwind comeback that outlets like ESPN and The Associated Press are calling “The Redemption Tour.”

THIS IS THEIR MOMENT! 🇺🇸#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/VJINkBHtS8

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

The Americans totaled 171.296 points in the Artistic Gymnastics event, leaving Italy in a distant second place.

Brazil rounded out the top three teams with a bronze medal performance.

Each star for Team USA had a chance to shine.

Here’s a big moment for Biles:

WOW. SIMONE BILES JUST DID THAT. 🔥 #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/l4pLcI1QGg

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

Here’s Chiles on her beam routine:

Jordan Chiles finishes strong to close out her beam routine. 💪 #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/5vPcNlLZKU

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

Here’s Lee on the uneven bars:

Suni Lee’s uneven bars routine just left us SPEECHLESS! 😲 #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/mGOk4hMnBD

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

This is Carey getting things started for Team USA:

Jade Carey did NOT come to play. 😤

Starting things off strong for Team USA. #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/qKBellq0LB

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024

The women’s dominance and ensuing elation is a stark shift from the more morose overtones that surrounded the team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which actually took place in 2021 due to COVID).

That competition saw Biles infamously withdrawing from various events, leaving her team in the lurch.

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It was enough that Biles, one of the most decorated and generally beloved Americans in Olympics history, faced genuine backlash for pulling out.

(Biles cited a bad case of the “twisties” as to why she pulled out.)

The sudden departure of Biles — and the emotional gut-punch that likely followed — played an outsized role in Team USA’s failure to secure gold in the women’s gymnastics event that year.

Team USA earned silver in Tokyo, ending a streak of back-to-back Olympics where it had won gold.

With the win on Tuesday, Team USA has secured a gold medal in 2012, 2016 and, now, 2024.

Biles, for her part, has teamed with Netflix to produce a documentary about this spirited comeback of hers.

And with this gold medal win, she just gave the Netflix filmmakers a perfect ending.

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Tags:

Gymnastics, Olympics, Sports, United States, Women in sports

Bryan Chai

Sr. Editor / Sr. Writer

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Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.

Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.

Birthplace

Hawaii

Education

Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.

Location

Phoenix, Arizona

Languages Spoken

English, Korean

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech