Some of the world’s elite gymnasts made their way to San Jose on Saturday for the Gold Over America Tour, where they performed an array of impressive aerial feats.
Led by the GOAT, 11-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles, the athletes performed a “high-energy and high-flying, gymnastics-meets-pop-concert spectacle” in a packed SAP center. The company lineup features Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera, Joscelyn Robenson, and Jordan Chiles who is currently appealing a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport that stripped her of a bronze medal after an improper coach’s scoring appeal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Since the CAS ruling, the medal was given to Romania’s Ana Barbosu. Representing Team USA’s male competitors are Paul Juda, Brody Malone and Frederick Richard. The cast’s international delegation includes Canada’s Peng-Peng Lee and Ellie Black, France’s Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos, and the Netherlands’ Casimir Schmidt.
The crowd cheered as Biles and the rest made their way out on the floor. Some of the over 10,000 attendees drove all the way from Sacramento to see the most decorated gymnast in history perform.
Her cool moves inspire me to work hard and try my best,” said 8-year-old Lauren Duncan, who attended the show with her sister Clair. The pair wore special Simone Biles outfits. San Jose is just the fourth stop on the tour, which will also include Denver, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, and Orlando. The tour will conclude in Detroit on November 3. The 32-arena showcase debuted in Oceanside on Monday before making its way to Phoenix. On Wednesday, at the Footprint Area, the cast was welcomed by Phoenix Mercury basketball stars Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Kahleah Copper.
Before making their way to the Bay Area, the company stopped in Los Angeles. This is the second GOAT tour Biles has led, with the inaugural showcase in 2021. The original tour was made up of just female gymnasts with the intention of inspiring the next generation of female athletes. The tour is probably not the last time fans see Simone perform. The Spring, Texas resident said she hasn’t entirely dismissed the idea of competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Obviously, we are going to start off with this tour,” Biles said in an interview with NBC San Diego. “We have 30 cities and 32 shows. Let’s focus on that and I think after this, we deserve a well good break. So then we’ll see.”
