Simone Biles Wins 3rd Gold in Vault Final

Biles' teammate Madison Kocian wins silver on bars; USA's Alex Naddour wins bronze on pommel horse

Simone Biles won her third gold medal of the Rio Olympics, landing both her vaults to near perfection to win the individual apparatus championship on Sunday.

Biles, who had the highest score in qualifying, soared over the competition once again.

Landing an Amanar with a small hop on the landing to score a 15.9, and a Cheng on the second attempt that scored 16.033, there was no doubt.

Russia’s Maria Paseka won the silver medal, way back on Earth with a 15.253 score that was 0.713 points behind Biles.

Also medaling for the United States on Sunday were Madison Kocian on uneven bars and Alex Naddour on pommel horse.

Kocian got a silver behind Russia’s Aliya Mustafina, scoring a 15.833 to lose gold by 0.167 points. Sophie Scheder of Germany won bronze by 0.033 points ahead of teammate Lauren Seitz. Kocian's teammate Gabby Douglas finished seventh. The 2012 all-around champion, Douglas didn't get to defend her title because she qualified third, but was behind Biles and US teammate Aly Raisman and each country is allowed only two spots.

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On the horse, Britain’s Max Whitlock won his second gold medal of the day and teammate Louis Smith got silver.

Naddour's bronze was the first medal on horse for the US since 1984.

After the vault, Biles beamed and waved from her spot atop the podium at the Rio Olympic Arena, a place she has already visited three times in six days. The 19-year-old Biles has two more chances to add to her gold medals in the vault, team and individual all-around — in the event finals of the balance beam and the floor exercise. She'll be joined on beam by teammate Laurie Hernandez and on floor by Raisman.

Switzerland’s Giulia Steinrguber took bronze with a 15.216, and India’s Dipa Karmakar was fourth. She is India’s first gymnast to make an Olympic final, and the first woman from the country to even compete at the Games.

Karmakar was followed by China’s Wang Yan and North Korea’s Hong Un Jong.

Uzbekistan’s Oksana Chusitova, competing in her seventh Olympics for her third team, finished seventh. She did not add to a medal collection that includes a team gold with the Unified Team from Barcelona in 1992 and a silver on vault for Germany in 2008.

Canada’s Shallon Olsen was eighth.

Earlier, Whitlock won Britain’s first Olympic gymnastics gold, in the floor exercise, ahead of Brazilians Diego Hypolito and Arthur Mariano.

American Jake Dalton was sixth and teammate Sam Mikulak was eighth.

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