Simone Biles dominates vault to win 3rd gold in Rio

Saturday, the United States won its 1,000th Olympic gold medal when the women’s 4×100 medley relay team of Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Dana Vollmer and Simone Manuel won the penultimate swimming event of the Rio Games.

She stays on pace to win an unprecedented five gold medals, with balance beam Monday the most questionable.

Russia’s Maria Paseka (15.253) took the silver as Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber (15.216) won bronze.

Going last among the eight female finalists, Biles drilled her Amanar – a round off onto the block followed by 2 1/2 twists – and put up a 15.9 to take the lead.

The two highest gold-medal totals in an individual Olympics for the USA came in years the country hosted – 1904 in St. Louis (76) and 1984 in Los Angeles (83). The gold went to Denmark’s Pernille Blume, the 22-year-old who finished in 24.07. Floor exercise is Tuesday. China is next on the Rio medal table at 13 golds. She also competed as part of two relay squads, earning gold for one effort and silver for the other.

Naddour finished third behind a pair of British gymnasts in Max Whitlock and Louis Smith, who won gold and silver, respectively. They finally have their first two golds thanks to the 23-year-old Whitlock. Sunday was his second time competing in an apparatus final at the Olympics, after placing fifth in the vault final in London.

The 16-year-old Olsen, in her first Olympic Games, scored 14.966 on her first vault routine and 14.666 on her second.