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6 hidden details in Simone Biles' and Suni Lee's Olympic leotards at the women's gymnastics all-around final

Simone Biles and Suni Lee competed in the women's gymnastics all-around final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Simone Biles and Suni Lee at the women's all-around final at the Paris Olympics.
Simone Biles and Suni Lee at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
  • Simone Biles and Suni Lee competed in the women's gymnastics all-around final at the Paris Olympics.
  • Biles wore a blue leotard featuring over 10,000 crystals with stars and stripes on the sleeves.
  • Lee's leotard featured a lace-inspired crystal pattern as a reference to Art Nouveau.

Simone Biles and Suni Lee, both past Olympic gold medalists in women's all-around gymnastics, competed for the title once again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Biles took home the gold, winning her ninth Olympic medal and cementing her status as the most decorated American gymnast of all time. Lee won the bronze medal.

Biles and Lee wore custom leotards designed by GK Elite, a sportswear company and official partner of USA Gymnastics. Here are six hidden details you might have missed in the designs.

Simone Biles' leotard design, titled "Luminous Legacy," gleams with over 10,000 crystals.
Simone Biles performs on the uneven bars at the 2024 Olympics.
Simone Biles on the uneven bars at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The leotard includes two shades of Swarovski crystals, Light Siam Shimmer and Majestic Blue, which are exclusive to the 2024 Olympics, according to GK Elite.

The lines on the bodice are designed to look like a corset in a tribute to French fashion.
Simone Biles at the 2024 Olympics.
Simone Biles at the women's gymnastics all-around finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Jeanne Diaz, GK Elite's lead designer, told Business Insider that the design team also took inspiration from "superhero Wonder Woman armor" while creating this look.

Sublimated stars and crystal lines on the sleeves offer an abstract take on the stars and stripes of the American flag.
Simone Biles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Simone Biles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Sublimation is a specialized print technique used to apply graphics to fabric using heat and pressure. It was first used in leotards at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

"That technique allows us to get really intricate details, really fine lines, without having to use any other more expensive or more stretch-restrictive surface techniques," Diaz said.

Suni Lee's leotard, "Elegance," features a crystal lace-inspired pattern referencing "the softer side of Parisian fashion," Diaz said.
Suni Lee after her uneven bar routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Suni Lee after her uneven bar routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The lace design is meant to evoke haute couture and the decorative, flowing lines of the Art Nouveau movement popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Diaz said.

The pattern on Lee's mesh sleeves was also printed on the fabric using sublimation.

A lace-up design on the back provides another tribute to Parisian corsets.
Suni Lee competes on balance beam at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Suni Lee on the balance beam at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The faux corset is encrusted with crystals.

Her leotard is covered in over 5,000 crystals.
Suni Lee at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Suni Lee after her balance beam routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The front of the leotard features flame and diamond-shaped crystals.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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