Follow the latest news on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Simone Biles recaptured the Olympic gymnastics all-around crown at Paris 2024 on Thursday, with Algeria's rising star Kaylia Nemour finishing in a highly-commendable fifth place.
Biles, who withdrew from multiple events at the Tokyo Games three years ago with the disorientating "twisties", followed up team gold with the United States earlier this week. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade took silver and defending Olympic champion Sunisa Lee grabbed bronze.
The 27-year-old Biles became the first gymnast to reclaim the individual title, which she first won at the 2016 Rio Games.
Nemour, 17, lifted herself into contention after a breathtaking uneven bars routine, scoring 15.533, to move into second at the halfway point, but she couldn't maintain her position, slipping to fifth after the beam and her floor routine in what was surely the first of several Olympic finals to come. The teenager will be among the favourites for gold in the apparatus finals on her signature uneven bars.
Biles capped her performance with another dazzling floor routine, her high-flying tumbling bringing the crowd to its feet.
It earned her 59.131 points to finish 1.199 ahead of Andrade with 21-year-old Lee taking bronze with her own superb floor routine, having trailed in fourth going into the final rotation.
The United States have now won the event six times in a row - and a record seven times overall.
Biles has won a total of nine Olympic medals, including six golds. Her confidence was best summarised by her 'GOAT' necklace - a nod to her being considered the greatest gymnast of all time.
"My GOAT necklace - some people love it, some people hate it," said Biles. "It is crazy I'm in the conversation of greatest of all athletes because I'm just Simone Biles from Spring in Texas.
"Three years ago I never thought I'd step on a gymnastic court again, but worked hard, mentally and physically, even saw my therapist this morning, just making sure I'm mentally well."
She could yet add three more golds in Paris as she competes in the apparatus finals on the vault, floor exercise and balance beam.
Once again the stars were out, with Team USA basketball stars Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry watching at Bercy Arena along with France's own NBA legend Tony Parker and footballing great Zinedine Zidane.
On her first rotation, Biles opened with her stunning Yurchenko double pike vault - now known as the Biles II - to the delight of the crowd. She moved 0.666 points ahead of Olympic vault champion Andrade, who scored 15.100 for her perfectly-executed but technically less challenging Cheng.
Biles led after the balance beam, finishing with a massive smile and high-fiving her teammates and coaches as she received a standing ovation for an effort worth 14.566. She had a slim margin of 0.166 on Andrade, who had a few wobbles on the beam, with all to play for heading into the floor routine finale.
Biles finished with a flourish on the floor where she won Olympic gold in 2016, drawing gasps from the crowd with her gravity-defying jumps including two of her own skills. Andrade, 25, knew she had been well beaten and the Brazilian, the Tokyo silver medallist, went over to congratulate and hug her rival even before the winning score of 15.066 flashed up.
Biles becomes the third woman to win two Olympic all-around gold after Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union and Czech Vera Caslavska.
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Scoreline
Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
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Results
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
