Simone Biles Becomes First Gymnast In History To Win 8 U.S. All-Around Titles

After ten years, Simone Biles continues to remain at the pinnacle of her sport.

The gymnastics superstar achieved her remarkable eighth U.S. Championship on Sunday night, a decade after she initially rose to prominence as an exceptional young talent in her field.

Biles, who is now a recently married 26-year-old regarded as one of the greatest athletes in history, achieved an impressive all-around score of 118.40 over the course of two days, surpassing the runner-up Shilese Jones by a margin of four points.

Additionally, Florida junior Leanne Wong secured third place, thereby enhancing her prospects of being selected for the world championship team for the third consecutive time.

Biles is highly likely to return to the gym where she achieved her first world title in 2013.

During the thrilling two evenings at the SAP Center, she made it clear that despite taking a two-year break after the Tokyo Olympics, she stands as the greatest of all time in gymnastics, while others fall behind.

Biles has achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the oldest woman to win a national title since USA Gymnastics began organizing the event in 1963.

Additionally, her impressive record of eight crowns surpasses that of Alfred Jochim, who won seven titles between 1925-1933 during the period when the Amateur Athletics Union managed the championships and included rope climbing in the men’s competition.

The sport has made significant progress over the past century. Biles, who has dedicated 10 years to showcasing her exceptional talents, has been instrumental in pushing boundaries in various ways.

Peaks typically have a shorter duration. Many elite gymnasts, especially those who haven’t retired, aim to maintain their current level of performance.

Biles has not shown interest in that matter in the past. She finds repetition to be dull. She firmly states that this time she is pursuing it “for herself,” and her distinct approach to her job provides tangible evidence of her sincerity.

Instead of allowing the world to witness her journey towards a third Olympics, she has chosen to keep most of her training private, as her focus lies more on sharing glimpses of her life outside the gym.

Despite not being affected by age, she chose to play it relatively safe on Sunday. She made the decision to refrain from attempting the Yurchenko double pike vault, which she executed flawlessly during the competition’s first night, due to a minor injury to her right ankle that occurred during training on Saturday.

The score of 14.850 she received for her Cheng vault remained the highest of the evening at the event. Likewise, the score of 14.8 she earned on beam and the score of 15.400 that garnered a standing ovation upon completion was also noteworthy.

In late September, Antwerp will be the next stop where Biles will aim to further enhance her unparalleled career with an addition to her impressive collection of 25 medals, including 18 gold ones.

It is expected that Shilese Jones will also be on the plane.

The 21-year-old is exceptionally skilled on bars, despite her relatively tall stature (around 5 feet 6 inches), which is unusual for someone in this profession.

The crowd displayed great enthusiasm as she flawlessly executed her dismount, leading to her impressive score of 15.000, the highest in the entire meet for this event.

Additionally, this achievement signifies that she has successfully overcome a challenging period of 10 months, during which she faced several injuries that hindered her training progress.

Sunisa Lee, the reigning Olympic champion, who has been dealing with a kidney issue that her doctors are still working to understand, may potentially have an opportunity to showcase her skills as a specialist due to her impressive performance in the balance beam routine.

Wong, one of several athletes striving to compete at both the NCAA and elite levels simultaneously, showcased exceptional performances over two impressive nights. These included a gracefully executed bars routine and a floor exercise that compensates for its minimal strength with remarkable precision.

Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, who are teammates of Biles at the 2020 Olympics, and have also been balancing their time between college and elite gymnastics for the past two years, did not perform at their best.

Unfortunately, Chiles experienced falls on both the uneven bars and the balance beam. On the other hand, Carey managed to secure a top 10 placement in only one event, specifically the vault, where the American team is expected to excel.

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Talia M.

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