Fourth Olympic gold for Biles, China flop in Gymnastics
US star Simone Biles claimed a record-equalling fourth Olympic women's gold
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 16, 2016 (AFP) - US star Simone Biles claimed a record-equalling fourth Olympic women s gold on the floor in Rio on Tuesday as former gymnastics giants China flopped to their worst Games showing in 32 years.
The 19-year-old Biles sealed the floor title with a powerful display of acrobatics and tumbling to add to her team, all-around and vault gold on the final day of competition in the Rio Olympic Arena.
The three-time world floor champion scored 15.966 points to lead a US 1-2 ahead of Aly Raisman (15.500), the 2012 Olympic floor champion.
Britain s Amy Tinkler (14.933) won bronze.
Biles had been bidding to win a record five women s gold in Rio after taking the team, all-around and vault titles.
But a slip on the beam on Monday saw her take bronze on that apparatus.
She becomes the fifth woman to win four gold at the same Olympics joining Hungarian Agnes Keleti (1956), Soviet Larissa Latynina (1956), Czech Vera Caslavska (1968) and Romanian Ecaterina Szabo (1984).
China return home without a title since they got a first gymnastics gold in 1984.
Wang Yan finished fourth on the floor.
Their last men s hopes Deng Shudi and You Hao slumped on parallel bars, which was won by Ukrainian Oleg Verniaiev.
Verniaiev, 22, the all-around silver medallist in Rio, took gold with 16.041.
American Danell Leyva took silver (15.900) with Russia s David Belyavskiy taking bronze (15.783).
It is the first time a Chinese gymnast has not won the parallel bars title since 2004.
Deng finished fourth after a wobble and You last in the eight-man final after falling on his dismount.
