US Olympic superstars Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky make Olympic history

U.S. Olympic superstars, gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky, added to their medal tally on Thursday night. Each athlete won another medal in their respective competitions and made a bit of Olympic history along the way.

Biles, who already won a gold medal earlier this week when the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastic team won the gold medal in the team competition, won the gold in the gymnastics individual all-around competition. It was the sixth Olympic gold medal for Biles and her ninth Olympic medal overall. She is just the third Olympic gymnast to win the individual all-around competition multiple times and the first gymnast in history to accomplish this feat in nonconsecutive Olympic competitions.

Ledecky, meanwhile, won a silver medal in the 4x200m relay on Thursday, earning her 13th Olympic medal. She has eight gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze medal in her Olympic career. With her silver medal, Ledecky became the most decorated female athlete in Olympic history, according to ESPN.

Ledecky’s gold medal total is just one short of the total achieved by Larisa Latynina, a gymnast from the former Soviet Union, who last competed in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. 

Both Ledecky and Biles may not be finished quite yet in getting medals. Both can add to their medal totals at these Olympic games as each are scheduled, and favored to win medals, in other competitions later this week.