SIMONE Biles won a record eighth all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California on Sunday (Monday in Manila), looking as dominant as ever despite only recently returning to competition after a two-year break.
The sold-out crowd leapt to their feet after Biles finished the two-day event with a magnificent floor routine to put the gymnastics world on notice with one year to go until the Paris Olympics.
The 26-year-old is making her comeback after pulling out of multiple events at the Tokyo Games due to ‘the twisties’, a temporary loss of spatial awareness in mid-air.
Biles won her seventh title in 2021 to tie Alfred Jochim, who won the last of his seven in 1933.
“I’ve been doing it for so long that I don’t think about numbers, I think about my performance and overall, I hit eight for eight,” Biles said in an interview with the Peacock network.
“Eight is the lucky number this year.”
Biles entered the second day of the championships with a commanding 2.55-point lead and increased it further when she scored a 14.850 from the vault.
A solid performance on the uneven bars garnered a 14.050 and her balance beam routine, which was sharper than on the opening day of the competition, earned her a 14.850.
She finished with her strongest event, the floor exercise, scoring a 15.400 to electrify the crowd at SAP Center.
“It’s really amazing,” Biles said of the crowd’s reaction.
“Everybody in here believes in me, my teammates believe in me, my coaches, my family, everyone. — Reuters
