d and ignited a brawl involving both benches.After the altercation was over, Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir called both cap

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Simone Biles already owned three consecutive world titles and four U.S. national championships before she arrived in Rio. At 19, she already has a floor exercise move named after her that no other women in the world can throw, the surest sign in gymnastics that youre a sport-changing force. Former Olympic all-around champion Mary Lou Retton long ago called Biles the greatest female gymnast she has ever seen. Others have echoed the talk. But as Biles coach Aimee Boorman noted Thursday, A lot of people said she wouldnt be the greatest of all time until she wins the Olympic all-around.So-o-o-o, Boorman laughed and held out a hand, Mic drop!Biles was once again at her unparalleled best at the Rio Summer Games on Thursday with a winning score of 62.198 that left her a gaping two points clear of fellow American Aly Raisman, and nearly four points ahead of bronze medalist Aliya Mustafina of Russia.She finally, officially, conclusively, irreversibly placed herself in the conversation with Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt as one of the top five or six most wondrous athletes in the world right now. Theres no need to limit it to only whos in attendance at these Rio Summer Games.Heres the other thing: Even though it was a victory that had been long predicted -- For, like, years, Raisman, a two-time Olympian, said with a laugh -- the story of how Biles arrived at this moment and delivered on it is hardly routine or stripped of wonder.Her win felt drama-free or boring only if you dont like to watch a virtuoso performer stretching ideas of whats possible, or see a great creation story come to fruition.I think if you ask any of the all-arounders that won the gold medal, Biles said, its everything they dreamed of since they were a little girl. But I think mine is a little different.Biles was raised in suburban Houston by her paternal grandfather and his second wife after her own mother struggled with substance abuse problems in Cleveland. To see the amplitude and mastery of the skills she throws now -- the vaults that are so high flying the crowds in Rio have literally gasped at the enormous difference between her and the other gymnasts -- its easy to forget it wasnt always this way.Some girl gymnasts are on the Olympic track from the time theyre 9 or 10, but, said Biles, I didnt really start training for my Olympic dream seriously until just a few years ago. Boorman, a loose, joke-cracking woman who has coached Simone since she was six, has often told the story of how she actually pulled Biles from her first senior-level meet in 2013 after Biles barely held on during her beam routine, fell to her knees during the floor exercise and flew off the uneven bars.Even then, Biles was an obvious talent. She already had some amazing strength and power packed into her 4-foot-9 frame. But Thursday, after being told that national team coordinator Martha Karolyi had called her the best gymnast she has ever seen -- an enormous compliment considering Karolyi and her husband Bela also coached Retton here, and the great Nadia Comenci in Romania -- Biles laughed and said, I hadnt heard she said that -- then preferred to dwell more on an exchange she and Karoyli shared after she won Thursday.Its very amazing, because if you had asked her five years ago, Can you bring this girl onto the national team? ... shed have probably said no Biles said, because she just told me in the corner over there, For a couple years, I didnt even know about you because you were just this bouncy thing! And now youre standing here and youre the Olympic champion.A lot has changed.There were really only two moments of real drama as the competition unspooled Thursday, and one of them was really just the luck of the draw. Biles actually trailed Mustafina by a few tenths of a point after two rotations because they started on vault, where the gap between her and the Russian isnt that enormous, and then moved onto bars, where Mustafina, a former world champion, actually grabbed a three-tenths of a point lead as they moved to the most nerve-wracking apparatus, the beam.If Biles was ever going to crack, it was going to be here. Back at the U.S. Olympic trials in July, she fell off the beam twice and drolly joked later, Beam 2, Simone 0. Even Boorman laugh and admitted as she watched Biles take her last few warm-up passes before her routine, she was thinking to herself, JUST DONT FALL. I didnt like the rankings at that point. No.But Biles slammed down every one of her difficult tumbling passes. She nailed the dismount. After that, all that was left was the floor exercise, which had to feel like a walk in the park after what shed just been through. As it happened, Raisman and Biles were the last two gymnasts to go. They knew the last time the U.S. had two gymnasts on the podium in the event was in 2008, when Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson won gold and silver. Biles said, This morning when I woke up I walked into Alys room and said, I have a very good feeling about today. And she said, Me too. Raisman has rarely looked better or more radiant during a routine. She said she could see her longtime coach, Mihai Brestyan, pumping his fists with each tumbling pass she nailed, knowing she almost had the silver locked up. When it was over, she dissolved into tears as she walked off, knowing shed gone four-for-four in her routines and, in her words, won redemption for the mistakes that cost her dearly in the 2012 all-round medal race in London.Waiting for Raisman just off the mat was Biles, who still had to do her routine and laughed later, along with Boorman, about their indecision about what to do in that moment.Said Boorman: When Aly finished and she had her moment and everything, I went at Simone and I said, OK! We cant look at her or were both going to start crying. And she said, I know -- but I gotta go hug her. Biles said, What was going through my mind was Aly was going to cry, and then, oh my gosh, shes going to make ME cry. And thats not going to be good.But like everything else, Biles navigated it. Her score of 15.933 was the highest anyone posted on the night. She flew so high on a couple of her tumbling passes, the crowd gasped, same as it had at her vaults. Karolyi later gushed that it was like watching a force of nature.Biles herself was asked by reporters later if she felt pressure knowing she was trailing going to the beam and she flatly said, No. Well why not? I dont know, she said, I deal with pressure very well. A third reporter, still not satisfied, asked Biles now if she feels pressure in anything she does in life, and Biles, in that typically incisive, no-bull way of hers, said, All I have is gymnastics. So Ill have to think about it.Everyone laughed.Biles was later asked if she agrees shes the best female gymnast there has ever been, and she just shrugged.Im not exactly sure how to answer that, she said. I didnt even know my all-around [title was won] till, like, five minutes ago.It was typical Biles. Again. But maybe theres a lesson in that. For her, the surest way to achieve greatness is never taking greatness for granted.Jrue Holiday Pelicans Jersey . 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Jahlil Okafor Pelicans Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training.SAO PAULO -- Neymar scored his first goal of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Saturday, giving Brazil a 2-0 win over Colombia and a spot in the semifinals of the mens soccer tournament.Neymar scored from a free kick in the 12th minute, sending a right-footed shot through the wall and into the lower right corner of the net. Luan added the second in the 83rd at the Arena Corinthians with a shot from outside the area, keeping alive Brazils hopes of winning the soccer gold medal for the first time.The game, a sort of rematch from the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals, was heated from the start, with hard fouls from both teams. The benches cleared just before halftime after a vicious foul committed by Neymar, who lashed out after being harassed by opponents nearly every time he touched the ball.They really came playing hard, but we were able to overcome the pressure, Brazil forward Luan said. We were able to get the early goal and that helped us come away with a great victory.Brazil will next face Honduras, which reached the Olympic semifinals for the first time by defeating South Korea 1-0 at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte.In the other semifinal match, 1996 Olympic champion Nigeria will face Germany, which is playing at the Olympic tournament for the first time since 1988 -- when Jurgen Klinsmann was in the squad. Germany routed Portugal 4-0 in Brasilia, while Nigeria beat Denmark 2-0 in Salvador.Neymar, one of the biggest stars at the Rio Games, was provoked just like he was the last two times the South American rivals met at the senior level, including in last years Copa America when Brazil lost 1-0 and the Barcelona striker was sent off.ddddddddddddTwo years ago, Neymars World Cup ended after he took a knee to his back late in Brazils 2-1 win over the Colombians. Brazil eventually lost to Germany 7-1 in the semifinals.Upset with the way the Colombians were playing against him, Neymar went in hard against forward Andres Roa, a tackle that earned him a yellow card and ignited a brawl involving both benches.After the altercation was over, Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir called both captains for a chat, and also talked to both coaches.Neymar is experienced and he did well controlling the game, Luan said. But the whole team deserves credit for being able to keep it together and get the victory. Now we have to focus on the next two games to be able to reach our dream.More than 41,000 fans were on hand at the Arena Corinthians, the stadium which opened the World Cup two years ago.Brazil arrived at the Rio Games heavily favored to win the Olympic gold, which is the only significant trophy it hasnt won in soccer. The hosts struggled in scoreless draws against South Africa and Iraq but recovered with a 4-0 win over Denmark to advance to the quarterfinals.Brazil lost the 2012 final to Mexico in London. The five-time world champions also finished second at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Games. The team won the bronze in 1996 and 2008.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni ' ' '