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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.Dravon Askew-Henry Jersey P.J. 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The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim.LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Good things result from rebounds, and No. 8 Louisville succeeded against Western Kentucky by attacking the boards.Asia Durr scored 16 points, including two key 3-pointers 80 seconds apart in the fourth quarter, and Louisville outrebounded Western Kentucky 15-5 down the stretch for a 68-61 victory on Sunday.Louisville (8-2) erased a 38-32 halftime deficit with 10 straight points before Jaycee Coe rallied WKU (5-4) with three consecutive 3s, beginning a back-and-forth stretch that continued into the final quarter. The Cardinals 14-7 run helped them go ahead for good at 60-59 on Mariya Moores layup with 4:12 left, and Durr added a 3 with 3:33 to go.Offensive rebounds set up both baskets and symbolized Louisvilles fierce approach that also held WKU to 29 percent shooting in the final quarter.We just had to get a stop on defense and thats where it all started, said forward Myisha Hines-Allen, who also had 16 points with 11 rebounds, including an offensive board resulting in Durrs insurance 3.When we came out strong in the third quarter and were able to hold them, I dont know how many points we gained. Its just always defense, and then offense.Cortnee Walton added a layup and Briahanna Jackson and Hines-Allen combined for three free throws in the final minutes to seal the win in the intrastate matchup. Louisville avenged last seasons two-point loss in Bowling Green and has won seven of the last nine in the series.I was really proud how we started the fourth quarter defensively because we missed the first two shots, coach Jeff Walz said. But then we had stops too because all of a sudden if it (the deficit) goes from eight to 12, youve got big-time problems. So we actually defended, which was important.Ivy Brown scored 12 points and Tashia Brown had 11 for the Lady Toppers, who had won two in a row.THE BIG PICTUREWestern Kentucky: The Lady Toppers went 9 for 22 fromm 3-point range and led several times, but were dominated 41-25 on the boards and had several scoreless stretches that allowed Louisville to rally.dddddddddddd WKU shot 41 percent.Of her teams long-range shooting, coach Michelle Clark-Heard said, That is what we do, shoot the 3. When you are an undersized team and they are bigger than us, and most teams will be bigger than us, then its what we have to do.Kentucky transfer Kyvin Goodin-Rogers had eight points including two 3s and four rebounds in her WKU debut.Louisville: Freshman Sydney Zambrotta made 5 of 6 3-point attempts for 15 points while playing a season-high 16 minutes, providing a big boost. The Cardinals shot 46 percent from the field and 59 percent (10 of 17) from long range.I knew when I got in the game that I had to step up for my team, Zambrotta said, and Im happy we got the win.Louisvilles control inside made the difference late as it outscored WKU 28-18 in the paint.JUST A SUGGESTIONLouisvilles free throw struggles continued as it made just 4 of 9 attempts. Walz noted the Cardinals 3-point shooting and joked at changing the rule to allow his team to shoot freebies from long range.Were going to stand far back and see if the official will allow me to throw it from the bench, he said. (Just) shoot a 3 in stride because we do it better than we shoot free throws.POLL IMPLICATIONSLouisville should remain in the top 10 after beating its second in-state foe in a week. The Cardinals beat No. 15 Kentucky last Sunday.UP NEXTWestern Kentucky: Begins a five-game homestand on Thursday against Lipscomb.Louisville: Faces visiting South Dakota State for the first time on Wednesday night. The Jackrabbits return five starters from a 27-7 squad.---More AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '