FACTBOX-Olympics-Gymnastics-Reaction to American Biles' all-around gold

08/11/2016 20:07

Aug 11 (Reuters) - Following is a factbox on reactions to American gymnast Simone Biles winning all-around gold at the Rio Olympics on Thursday.

ALY RAISMAN, U.S. GYMNAST AND SILVER MEDALLIST IN ALL-AROUND

"Simone did amazing tonight as expected. I knew she was going to handle the pressure so well, and ... this whole week being here, she has been really calm and relaxed with people."

"No one goes in thinking they can beat Simone. People don't go in thinking they can beat Usain Bolt either. It's kind of the same thing."

SIMONE BILES

"I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles."

"I had a good feeling when I woke up. I walked into Aly's room and said 'I have a very good feeling about today'. And She said 'me too'."

MARTA KAROLYI, U.S. WOMEN'S TEAM COACH

"I think she is right on the top (with Nadia Comaneci). Together, both of them. For me, the first Olympic champion and the last Olympic champion, they are together. They are special."

"In the future, she will be a big star. I am sure she will be a millionaire. And she well deserves this. She is a happy person, a bubbly person. She told me she will take a year off and go to the college and we talked about the importance of education even beside the big stardom and all of that."

KYLE SHEWFELT, RETIRED CANADIAN GYMNAST

"She flies higher than anyone, has bigger difficulty value than we have ever seen. But what I think, what is even more impressive is that she delivers in the big meets. It is one thing to come in with a lot of pressure and it is another to completely deliver and she gets better when the lights come on. She is the most powerful, dynamic gymnast I have ever seen."

"She is making history, she is breaking records left, right and center. At theses Games, now that she has two medals, she could win another three. She looks very calm, very relaxed and very poised. She looks extremely prepared, so I think she is going to have a good run here at the Games. Her bags are going to be a lot heavier on the way home."

JORDYN WIEBER, 2012 OLYMPIC TEAM GOLD MEDALLIST WITH U.S.

"I'm tearing up!!! SO happy for you both @Aly_Raisman and @Simone_Biles. Nothing but beauty, grace, power, and class."

ELSABETH BLACK, CANADIAN GYMNAST, FIFTH IN ALL-AROUND 2016

"She's incredible. She is just unbelievable, an extraordinary athlete and person. She's going to continue to do well at these Olympics. She's definitely the best female gymnast who has ever been." (Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, Mary Milliken, Drazen Jorgic, Andrew Downie and Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

08/11/2016 20:07