Simone Biles wanted to end her first Olympics on high note.
One day after bobbling on the beam and getting bronze, the champ was back in form on her way to leading an American 1-2 in the floor exercise. Biles won gold with a 15.966 and teammate Aly Raisman claimed silver with a 15.500.
“I’m a little bit relieved because it’s been a long journey,” Biles said, according to the Olympic website. “I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it and I know our team has. It’s been very long and, competing so many times this week, it kind of got tiring. We just wanted to end on a good note.”
Biles will go back to Texas with four gold and one bronze, the gold medal haul for one Olympics matching the record shared now by five women.
Her performance was one of several Tuesday that amazed.
Late-night heroics on the beach
There will be no record fourth gold medal for US beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings.
She and partner April Ross lost early Wednesday to Brazil’s Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas de Freitas in a sizzling match that delighted the boisterous home crowd.
It was the first time Walsh Jennings had ever lost at the Olympics, and meant she won’t join a club of women who won gold medals in team sports in four consecutive Games.
Velodrome’s golden couple
Jason Kenny and Laura Trott are getting married in September.
If you’re not sure what to get them, know that gold is a theme in their future household.
Kenny has six; Trott has four. Each added one more to the career total on Tuesday.
She’s Britain most decorated female Olympian ever. He’s nabbed as many gold medals as Chris Hoy, another British cycling legend.
“It just felt like a dream. I guess I’m tired. I was just floating through it,” Kenny said. “It’s mental to be level with Chris.”
His fiancée said she really wanted to win the team pursuit — which Britain did on Saturday.
Tuesday’s win was the product of some intense training.
“To come back and win the omnium (again), it’s just incredible,” she said. “You realize how hard it is to do it all again. It was so hard to build myself up and come back again. We did a lot of work in the gym, and completely changed our program.”
Both are young and probably have thought ahead to 2020, and possibly to 2040.
Trott, on Twitter: “I love him to bits @JasonKenny107 !! Our kids have to get some of these genes right?!”
Your daily Bolt
Usain Bolt is like many of us mortals — he likes to sleep in.
During the early session for athletics, the Jamaican superstar strode to a 20.28 in his winning his qualifying heat in the 200 meters.
“I knew the first round was going to be rough,” he told broadcaster NBC. “It’s in the sun, early morning, and I’m not a morning person.”
Good news, Usain! The 200 semis aren’t until Wednesday night, the final is Thursday night.
Bad news, the 4×100-meter relay heats are in the morning on Thursday. Maybe your team will let you skip that one.
Beating cancer and the field
It’s been quite a year for Argentine sailor Santiago Lange.
He was diagnosed with cancer last year and surgery took half a lung.
Five days later, he began working out again, training on a bike, getting ready for Rio.
On Tuesday he and his partner Cecilia Carranza Saroli won gold for their country.
Lange’s sailing sons were so overcome with happiness they jumped in the water and swam out to celebrate with dad.
His comeback is inspiring.
“This may help to give strength to many people who are going through what I’ve been through,” the 54-year-old Olympic veteran said. “But I prefer to focus on what we did athletically. The disease has nothing to do with it, it was a stone in the road.”
Sweden hits the spot
Sweden frustrates its opponents in women’s football. For the second straight match, it played to a draw then won in a penalty kick shootout.
First the United States in the quarterfinals, then Brazil in Tuesday’s semifinal.
US goalie Hope Solo criticized the way Sweden plays, called them cowards. Brazil’s coach Vadao said his side dominated the run of play.
“Through the whole 120 minutes we did try our best, we tried everything, that’s why it is so frustrating,” he said.
In the end though, Sweden left the soccer-mad host nation to lament another gutting loss at a major tournament.
Gold medal roundup
Here is a list of gold medals won on Tuesday
Athletics, Men’s 110-meter hurdles — Omar McLeod, Jamaica
Athletics, Men’s High Jump — Derek Drouin, Canada
Athletics, Men’s Triple Jump — Christian Taylor, United States
Athletics, Women’s 1,500 meters — Faith Kipyegon, Kenya
Athletics, Women’s Discus — Sandra Perkovic, Croatia
Boxing, Men’s Lightweight — Robson Conceicao, Brazil
Canoe Sprint, Men’s Canoe Singles 1,000 meters — Sebastian Brendel, Germany
Canoe Sprint, Men’s Kayak Singles 1,000 meters — Marcus Walz, Germany
Canoe Sprint, Women’s Kayak Doubles — Hungary
Canoe Sprint, Women’s Kayak Singles 200 meters — Lisa Carrington, New Zealand
Diving, Men’s 3-Meter Springboard — Cao Yuan
Gymnastics, Men’s Horizontal Bar — Fabian Hambuechen, Germany
Gymnastics, Men’s Parallel Bars — Oleg Verniaiev, Ukraine
Sailing, Men’s Laser — Tom Burton, Australia
Sailing, Men’s Finn — Giles Scott, Great Britain
Sailing, Mixed Nacra 17 — Argentina
Sailing, Women’s Laser Radial — Marit Bouwmeester, the Netherlands
Swimming, Men’s Marathon — Ferry Weertman, the Netherlands
Synchronized Swimming, Duets Freestyle — Russia
Table Tennis, Women’s Team — China
Track Cycling, Men’s Keirin — Jason Kenny, Great Britain
Track Cycling, Women’s Sprint — Kristina Vogel, Germany
Track Cycling, Women’s Omnium — Laura Trott, Great Britain
Weightlifting, Men’s More than 105 kilograms — Lasha Talakhadze, Georgia
Wrestling, Greco Roman 66 kilograms — Davor Stefanek, Serbia
Wrestling, Greco Roman 98 kilograms — Artur Aleksanyan, Armenia
