FOUR THE RECORD BOOKS
Wins floor to become 5th female gymnast to grab 4 golds at single Olympics
Simone Biles starts each year by pulling out a notebook to write down her goals for the next 12 months. When 2016 dawned, though, she didn’t get too specific.
Make the Olympic team. That’s it. Better to just leave things vague.
Besides, who could have written this? Eight days. Five medals. Four of them gold. The last one draped over her neck after one final show- stopping floor exercise Tuesday.
Whether Biles will leave the Games as the best gymnast of all time is up for debate, a topic she happily will leave to others.
‘‘ I would never rank myself,’’ Biles said. ‘‘ It’s weird.’’
She rather would let her envelope- pushing performance at Rio Olympic Arena do the talking.
Her final act was perhaps her greatest. On legs she joked felt like rocks, Biles put together 90 seconds of effortless joy. Her ceiling- scraping tumbling and charismatic dancing — set to Brazilian- themed music designed exactly for this moment — ended with her bouncing off the mat before sprinting into the waiting arms of longtime coach Aimee Boorman. She scored a 15.966.
Biles became the fifth female gymnast to win four golds at a single Olympic meet and the fourth to win them on the traditional events. Throw in the bronze Biles earned on balance beam Monday, and the 19- year- old will have a lengthy checklist when she gets to customs on her way home to Texas.
As for what comes next — besides the stardom that awaits back in the United States — Biles is unsure. She’d like to go have a normal life for a bit — at least as normal as it can be when she gets back to suburban Houston. Turning one of the biggest sporting events in the world into your personal showcase has a way of changing things.
‘‘ It’s kind of scary with this public eye being on me all the time,’’ Biles said. ‘‘ It’s rewarding, but I think we’ll get used to it.’’
Teammate Aly Raisman followed with a 15.5 to give her a third medal and six overall in her Olympic career. The 22- year- old team captain — who was second in the all- around to Biles last week — waved to the stands as she walked off the floor, likely for the final time as a competitor.
The medals gave the American women nine during the meet, the most ever by the United States at an Olympics.