U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles is back at the top of her game after a come-from-behind win at the U.S. Championships. Biles will now head to the World Championships where she has a shot at becoming the sport’s all-time medal winner.
“Going back to where it all began!” USA Gymnastics wrote on Instagram featuring the now 26-year-old gymnast after she won, assuring her spot at the World Championships. The post referred to the Sportpaleis arena in Antwerp, Belgium, where Biles won two golds at the World Championships in 2003, NPR reported.
With the win, Biles has become the first U.S. female athlete to ever be selected for six World Championship showings.
But it wasn’t without some drama.
Biles was actually in third place coming into the last rotation at the U.S. Championship.
But with her effortless-seeming turn on the Balance Beam, Biles pushed ahead and took the top spot.
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A 14.050 from @Simone_Biles on Balance Beam at the Women’s Selection Camp Competition!@TeamUSA | @WCCentre2014 | @gkelite pic.twitter.com/K6UBm4UxEX
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) September 20, 2023
Biles beat out Skye Blakely, and Shi Jones with scores of 55.700 for Biles, 55.300 for Lincoln, and 55.000 for the third place Blakely.
This is a quick return to form after she tumbled from grace and dropped out of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo to go on a “mental health break.”
Simone Biles competes in the uneven bars on day four of the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships at SAP Center on August 27, 2023, in San Jose, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
To date, Biles has won 19 World Championship medals and 25 World medals overall. She also has 32 total medals including those from the Olympics. This puts her only one medal short of all-time record holder Vitaly Scherbo of Belarus. Biles has the opportunity at the coming World Championships to break that record and become the winningest gymnast in world history.
Biles has noted that she wants to try out for Team USA for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, as well.
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