Simone Biles breaks US gymnastics' 90-year record
This is the second tournament Biles has competed in since withdrawing from the women's team final and the next four individual finals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health. At that time, the 26-year-old athlete admitted that she still had problems with "twisties" - a syndrome of lack of unity between body and mind.
Entering the second day of competition at the tournament with an advantage over the team behind by more than 2.5 points helped Biles easily win the record title. She chose not to do the "Yurchenko double pike" jump - named after the all-time champion in the early 1980s - after dislocating her ankle while performing the jump on August 25.
Instead, Biles competed firmly in all four events to win 59,150 on the day and have a total score of 118,450, surpassing the score of 114,550 of second place Shilese Jones - the all-time world silver medal winner of the year. 2022. The bronze medal belongs to Leanne Wong - the athlete who won the world all-around silver medal in 2021 - with 111,100 points.
When Biles finished the competition, a crowd of nearly 12,000 fans stood up and paid tribute to one of the greatest athletes in history. "It's really great. Everyone here believes in me and my teammates, coaches, family also believe in me," the athlete born in 1997 told NBC. "So I just started to believe in myself a little more. I love the fans, and that's really special."
With her eighth all-around gold medal in the US, Biles broke the record she previously shared with the late legendary Alfred Jochim - who won the seventh and last title 90 years ago, in 1933.
It's been 10 years since Biles started to make a splash in world gymnastics, when he beat 2012 Olympic gold medalist Kyla Ross to win his first US title at the 2013 national championships. The 33rd world medal and The Olympics then caused the first victory to be overshadowed.
"I don't remember much about the first title," Biles admitted. "I think sometimes you lose your memory whenever all of that happens. I also think that whenever I win a title, I immediately focus on the next goal. So, I never really had time to enjoy and celebrate those trophies."
Therefore, the 26-year-old athlete wants to spend time sharing joy with teammates and family after the 2023 US Gymnastics Championships to preserve memories.
Simone Biles was born in 1997 in the US, was dubbed the "Queen of Gymnastics" with the ability to perform the most difficult movements of this subject. She also created a double-circle in the air named after her. During her career, she won 25 medals at world championships. At the 2016 Olympics, Biles was the first American to win four gymnastics gold medals in one event. She is also the first female athlete to win all four all-around world championships in 2018.
Simone Biles was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Joe Biden in 2022. She is seen as a symbol of the fight against racism and sexual abuse against athletes.
