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SPORTS Friday 2 august 2024
Simone Biles edges Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade for her second

Olympic all-around gymnastics title

By WILL GRAVES major balance check dur-
AP National Writer ing her slightly easier set
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles that dropped her down to
remains peerless. Even second heading into floor
when she’s not quite per- exercise, Biles’ signature
fect. event.
The American gymnas- Andrade, the silver medalist
tics star edged Brazil’s Re- behind Lee in 2021, need-
beca Andrade during a ed the best floor set of her
tense Olympic all-around life to catch Biles. It didn’t
final Thursday. Biles’ total quite happen. Andrade
of 59.131 was just over a stepped out of bounds at
point ahead of Andrade at one point, a minor problem
57.932, one of the closest but enough to create plen-
calls Biles has ever endured ty of wiggle room for Biles.
at a major international “I don’t want to compete
event. Sunisa Lee, the To- with Rebeca no more,”
kyo Olympics champion, Biles said. “I’m tired. Like,
earned bronze despite she’s way too close. I’ve
spending much of the last never had an athlete that
15 months dealing with mul- close.”
tiple kidney diseases that Simone Biles, left, celebrates with teammate Suni Lee, of the United States, after winning the gold Biles incorporated music
left her return to the Games and bronze medals respectively in the women’s artistic gymnastics all-around finals in Bercy from pop icons Taylor Swift
very much in doubt. Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. Associated Press and Beyonce into her cur-
Still, the meet ended just rent routine, a 75-second
like all the ones Biles has world championships in then 30-year-old Maria ting go of the upper bar set that began with the
started and finished over 2015. Gorokhovskaya of the So- too soon and forcing her opening bars of Swift’s hit
the last 11 years: with hugs She was a teenager then. viet Union won the first-ever to reach for a larger-than- “Ready For It?” and fea-
and gold on the way. She’s an icon now. Olympic all-around in Mel- expect gap. tured the hardest tumbling
And a silver goat chain The 27-year-old who is re- bourne in 1952. While she didn’t fall Biles done by a woman in the

along with a gold medal defining what a gymnast Yet the sixth gold and ninth muscled her way back into history of the sport.
around the Greatest of All can do and just as notably, overall medal the same as the routine it blunted her When she was done seal-
Time’s neck. for how long she can do it Romanian great Nadia Co- momentum and led to ma- ing gold that served as a

“It is crazy that I am in the became the third woman maneci, who was among jor deductions that left her redemption of sorts three
conversation of ‘Greatest to become a two-time the star-studded crowd trailing Andrade through years after pulling out of
of all athletes’ because I Olympic champion, joining that included the U.S. two rotations. multiple finals in Tokyo to
just still think, ‘I’m Simone Larisa Latynina of the Soviet men’s basketball team of The deficit didn’t last. focus on her mental health
Biles from Spring, Texas who Union in 1956 and 1960 and Biles’ unparalleled career Biles responded with a Biles sprinted to hug Lee
loves to flip,’” she said. Vera Caslavska of Czecho- did not come as easy as so largely wobble-free 14.566 just off the podium and
The margin was the small- slovakia in 1964 and 1968. many that came before. on the balance beam, the blew kisses to the cameras
est in a major international Biles also is the oldest She misjudged a transition highest of the night among that have become fixtures
event since Biles captured woman to claim the big- on uneven bars, the weak- the 24 finalists, while An- wherever she goes under
the third of her record six gest title in her sport since est of her four events, let- drade was forced to do a the Olympic rings.q

World Series could extend into

November for 4th straight year

NEW YORK (AP) — The November for the first time get first-round byes, while
World Series could extend in 2001, when the 9/11 ter- the No. 3 seed faces No. 6
into November for the rorist attacks caused the and No. 4 plays No. 5. The
fourth straight year and will regular season to end a higher seed will be home in
start on a Friday for the third week later than originally each best-of-three series.
consecutive time. scheduled. The latest a Se- In the best-of-five Division
AL Division Series will have ries game has been played Series, the top seed plays
an extra scheduled off day was Nov. 5, when Houston the 3-vs.-6 winner and the
between Games 1 and 2, a beat Philadelphia in Game No. 2 seed plays the 4-vs.-
format that allows a team 6 in 2022. 5 winner. The Division Series
to have the same pitchers Before 2022, the World Se- will have the familiar format
start Games 1 and 4, and ries had not started on a of the higher seed home Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy watches from the dugout
Games 2 and 5 on normal Friday since 1915. for Games 1 and 2, and, if during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the
Baltimore Orioles, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.
four days’ rest. Last year, NL All four best-of-three Wild necessary, Game 5. Associated Press
Division Series had the extra Card Series are scheduled AL Division Series start on
off day. for consecutive days from Oct. 5, have an off day fol- NL Division Series also will The NL Championship Se-
Major League Baseball Oct. 1-3. lowed by a game on Oct. start Oct. 5-6 followed by ries starts Oct. 13 and the
said Thursday the Series will Twelve teams make the 7, then switch to the other travel day and switch to AL Championship Series
start on Oct. 25, putting a playoffs under the format cities on Oct. 9-10. After an- the other sites for games on the following day, with off
possible seventh game on that began in 2022. The top other travel day, Game 5s Oct. 8-9. Game 5s would days after Game 2s and
Nov. 2. The Series went into two teams in each league would be played Oct. 12. be Oct. 11. Game 5s.q