Biles took the gold with a total of 62.198. Her compatriot Aly Raisman claimed silver, while Russia's Aliya Mustafina took the bronze. The tears flowed freely down Biles' face as she received her medal, following a dazzling performance on the floor exercise.
An athlete who had been labelled the greatest ever female gymnast, even before she made her Olympic debut, proved that all the hype had not been misplaced as she swept to the title by a margin of 2.100 points.
As Biles completed her final soaring tumbling pass on the floor, no one in the Rio Olympic Arena needed to wait for the judges' verdict to realise they had just seen the gold-medal winning performance.
Biles is the fourth successive American to win the title -- following the successes of Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin and Gabby Douglas -- which is the longest winning streak by any country in the event.
