ROTTERDAM: US legend Simone Biles watched from the crowd as Rebeca Andrade and Kaylia Nemour dazzled on their way to gold at the world gymnastics championships in Rotterdam on Saturday.
Brazilian Andrade capped her return after a two-year break with her third gold in the women's vault as Algeria's Nemour took the uneven bars title for a second time.
The 27-year-old Andrade, a two-time Olympic champion in the vault and floor exercise, finished ahead of Americans Claire Pease and Skye Blakely.
Blakely, who won the individual all-around title on Friday, also claimed bronze on the uneven bars.
The apparatus finals unfolded in front of the greatest gymnast in history Biles, who was in the stands at the Ahoy arena.
Biles, who won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics two years ago, has not competed since. She has yet to decide whether she will make a comeback for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
As Brazil's most decorated Olympian, with six medals – two gold, three silver and one bronze – Andrade took a 22-month break following the 2024 Paris Games to focus on her physical and mental well-being.
She returned to official competition in June, winning gold on the vault at the Pan American Championships in Rio.
Andrade secured victory in Rotterdam with a score of 14.466 points, claiming her third world title on her signature apparatus.
Reigning European champion Angelina Melnikova of Russia did not compete after being denied a visa by Dutch authorities.
Meanwhile French-born Nemour bounced back from her disappointment in the all-around to win on the uneven bars.
The 19-year-old finished ahead of Germany's Helen Kevric and Blakely to defend the title she also won last year in Jakarta.
Favourite Nemour had finished fourth in Friday's all-around competition after a mistake on the vault.
But she staged a brilliant comeback a day later on the very apparatus that earned her Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.
'Nervous'
Meanwhile, three medals in two days have cemented Blakely's status as a model of resilience.
Her performance comes after injuries forced her to withdraw from both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.
"(Skye) is incredible," 29-year-old Biles told the event host.
"Watching her come back and just go out and compete for gold is so inspiring to watch."
The seven-time Olympic champion also appeared visibly emotional by the atmosphere in the Rotterdam Ahoy.
"It actually makes me so nervous, especially with the build-up music," she said.
"I felt like I was getting ready to compete. I was like, 'Why am I so nervous right now?'
"But it's nice to be in the atmosphere again."
In the men's event, American Frederick Richard won the floor exercise ahead of Britain's Jake Jarman and Israel's Artem Dolgopyat.
The 22-year-old Richard secured his first world title, edging out Jarman by 0.033 points.
Richard, who won bronze in the all-around event at the 2023 world championships in Antwerp, also took third place in the team event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In the pommel horse, Armenian Hamlet Manukyan took the gold, finishing ahead of Italy's Gabriele Targhetta and compatriot Mamikon Khachatryan.
Japan's Daiki Hashimoto, who won the all-around world title on Thursday, was unusually nervous, faltered in the final, and finished in eighth and last place. - AFP
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