Simone Biles Sets Milestone No Gymnast Has Ever Reached
After winning a historic eighth national all-around title, Simone Biles added another milestone to her legendary career on Sunday, just three weeks removed from her long-awaited return to competition.
The superstar gymnast dazzled spectators at the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, Calif. en route to securing a record eighth U.S. title with a final score of 118.450.
With the win, Biles set the mark as the first U.S. gymnast, man or woman, to win eight titles, breaking a tie with men’s legend Alfred Jochim, who won seven from 1925 to ’33. At age 26, Biles, who burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old prodigy, also set the mark as the oldest U.S. women’s all-around champion.
Following a brief injury scare on Saturday, Biles shook off a tweaked ankle and finished her weekend with a flurry, turning in a 15.400 in the floor routing to close Sunday night to a standing ovation.
And we'll leave this here...
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 28, 2023
15.400 (!!!) from @Simone_Biles on floor to close out the night ????@USAGym | #XfinityChamps
????: @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/Go83IMr0Fe
As one of the most popular and highly-decorated gymnasts in history, Biles will continue to prep for what would be her third Summer Olympics in 2024 as a member of Team USA in Paris.
Biles’s landmark victory adds to her dominance at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, where she won four consecutive titles from ’13 to ’16. After taking a hiatus following the Rio Olympics, she returned to win back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, and won again in 2021 after the ’20 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.