Suni Lee has kept the American streak alive. Coming into these Games, an American woman has won the women's gymnastics all-around title in each of the last five Olympic Games.
"It feels super crazy, I definitely didn't think I would be here in this moment with a gold medal," Lee said. "I haven't really let it sink in yet because I feel like it's not real life."
She totaled 57.433 for gold, holding off Brazil's Rebeca Andrade (57.298) and ROC's Angelina Melnikova (57.199). Lee joins U.S. greats Mary Lou Retton (1984), Carly Patterson (2004), Nastia Liukin (2008), Gabby Douglas (2012) and Simone Biles (2016) as the only U.S. women to win the all-around title at the Olympic Games. Lee is the first Hmong American gymnast.
Andrade's medal is the first for a South American woman in the women's all-around final. Prior to Thursday, the best finish by a Brazilian woman was Jade Barbosa's 10th place finish in 2008.
"I am very, very happy," said Andrade. "I'm very thankful to all the people who have supported me."
After a disappointing Rio 2016 that found a talented Melnikova on the outside of the all-around final looking in, the 21-year-old said she had completely transformed in the five years since those Games.
"When the score came up, all my dreams came true. This time [Tokyo], I knew that I was going for a medal and I was way more confident [than Rio]," she said. "I was 16 in Rio, so this was very different."
Melnikova, who was also part of the winning ROC team Tuesday, stars in the Olympic Channel original series All Around, which has chronicled her journey to gold and bronze in Tokyo 2020.
On Wednesday, USA Gymnastics announced that 2016 Olympic all-around champion Biles, the heavy favourite prior to the start of the Games, would not participate in the final to focus on her mental health.
"After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health," a statement from the organisation read. "Simone will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether or not to participate in next week’s individual event finals."
The 24-year-old qualified to all four apparatus finals, scheduled for 1-3 August.
