(DailyDig.com) – Simone Biles, 27, an Olympic medalist in gymnastics, won her ninth title, a record-breaking all-around title, during the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships of 2024 held in Fort Worth, Texas. Her victory guaranteed her a place in the US Olympic trials, which would determine her representation at the Paris Olympic Games.
She is the first gymnast to win nine of the all-around titles. She won her previous titles in 2013, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’18, ’19, ’21, and ’23.
Biles has won 37 world and Olympic medals, including all four gymnastic apparatuses at the US Championships. Two of the top finishers from the Fort Worth championships automatically qualified for the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Olympic trials, scheduled for June 27 through 30. Skye Blakely will accompany Biles in the Minneapolis trials.
The competition lasting two days resulted in Biles scoring a total of 119.750, which is the highest score ever recorded for all four of the event apparatuses (floor, beam, bars, and vault). In 2018, she also won all four events with gold medals in each.
During the beginning of the Fort Worth competition, Biles scored her highest score since the 2021 Olympic trials. It gave her a lead of 3.4 points ahead of the next highest score.
During the two nights of competition, Biles’ most significant mistake happened in the vault apparatus. She was doing a Yurchenko double-pike when she rotated too far and landed on her back. Given the difficulty of the vault routine and her near-perfect execution, she received a score of 15.000.
After her win, Biles expressed her pride in her accomplishments thus far this year. She said doing what she practices on her own gives her more confidence to perform in front of people. She also said that after appearing in two Olympics, they are increasingly tense as she knows what she expects of herself.
Her husband, sister, and mother were all in attendance to support Biles in Fort Worth.
Copyright 2024, DailyDig.com
