Simone Biles heads into the Olympics bidding to crown the greatest gymnastics career in history with only herself to beat. The 24-year-old American superstar has not lost an all-around competition since 2013, an eight-year era of domination that has encompassed 19 world championship gold and four Olympic golds. In Tokyo, Biles is poised to become the first woman in more than half a century to retain the all-around title, and could well end up equalling Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s record of nine Olympic gold medals. To do that, Biles will need to win four individual events — all-around, floor, vault and beam — while leading the United States to victory in the team competition. Few are betting against her.
