The G.O.A.T. -- Simone Biles -- from Spring, Texas, who loves to flip

Simone Biles registered her name in record books winning gold in the all-around gymnastics at Paris Olympics on Thursday becoming the oldest athlete in history to do so.

The title helped the 27-year-old secure her second gold this Olympics and sixth overall, cementing her place in the history as the G.O.A.T. - The Greatest of All Time.

Biles was quick to flaunt her success as the American slipped on a sparkling GOAT necklace and flashed it to TV cameras right after her winning score was posted.

“It’s a little ode .. a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT, so I thought it would be really special if I got one made,” she said of the necklace.

“But at the end of the day, it is crazy that I am in the conversation of greatest of all athletes because I still just think I’m Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, that loves to flip.”

In a sport usually dominated by teenagers, Biles, at 27, is the first gymnast to win non-consecutive all-around Olympic titles, showing her longevity in the sport whose past 12 champions have all been teenagers.

Biles edged past Rebeca Andrade by 1.199 points to become the oldest athlete since 1952 to win the most coveted individual title in women's gymnastics. In a tight race with the Brazilian, Biles was surprisingly left trailing in third place after a flawed performance on the uneven bars during the second rotation.

"I don't want to compete with Rebecca no more. I'm tired. Rebeca pushes me to be my best, she's a phenomenal athlete," Biles said.

In a sign of great camaraderie, a beaming Andrade applauded Biles as soon as the American had struck the final pose of her floor routine, sitting on the mat with her left hand covering her face. Andrade did not need to wait for the score to flash up to know who would be crowned champion and quickly went up to hug Biles.

"It was really cool, knowing that I made her work, right?" Andrade said of Biles. "It's an honour to be able to compete next to her."

The Brazilian earned a second successive silver in the event, having finished behind Biles' teammate Sunisa Lee in Tokyo.

The gold was Biles’ ninth Olympic medal, moving her record total of world championship and Olympic medals to a jaw-dropping 39. The 27-year-old became the first woman to win two all around titles at the Games since Vera Caslavska triumphed in 1964 and 1968.

Biles had won the all-around gymnastics title at Rio 2016 and had been the favorite at the last Olympics before she pulled out of the tournament.

Three years ago in Tokyo, Biles withdrew from the event to prioritise her mental health after suffering from the "twisties", a condition involving the temporary loss of spatial awareness that some gymnasts can experience when executing high-difficulty elements.

Her withdrawal caused concern among her vast fan base about whether she would ever set foot on the Olympic stage again.

Biles proved she was no quitter as she captured her second gold medal of the Paris Games, her first being leading the U.S. to the team gold on Tuesday. The American will be on the hunt for three more golds in Paris as she has also qualified for the vault, floor exercise and balance beam finals.

With input from Reuters