Gold standard: Biles takes 6th worlds all-around

On the evening of October 6th, 2023, at 9:09 PM.

In Antwerp, Belgium, Simone Biles did not let a small misstep hold her back from success. Biles, a renowned gymnastics athlete from America, has regained her place as the world's best in the sport, despite only returning to competition recently, in under three months.

Despite encountering a minor setback towards the end of her floor routine, Biles emerged victorious in the individual all-around competition at the world championships for the sixth consecutive time on Friday. As a result, she now holds the record for the most accolades earned by a gymnast. Her performance was exceptional, with the exception of that one small error.

Despite having won 21 world championship titles and being a seasoned podium stander, Simone Biles couldn't hold back the tears during her Antwerp medal ceremony. It was a special moment for the gymnast, as Antwerp was where she began her collection of titles ten years ago at the age of 16.

I have something stuck in my eye for the past four hours and it's hard to believe. I can't get it out, which makes it difficult for me when I look up at the podium because the object in my eye is bothersome.

Biles subsequently recognized that she was emotionally affected.

She expressed her emotions by saying that winning her first worlds 10 years ago was a remarkable achievement. Returning to the same stage after all these years was overwhelming for her. She felt that all the hard work she had put in for this moment was worth it. She was comfortable and confident enough to compete and it was a great feeling.

During the recent competition, Biles managed to score an impressive total of 58.399 points across four disciplines, including the balance beam, floor, vault, and uneven bars. This exceptional performance allowed her to surpass her Brazilian rival, Rebeca Andrade, who is the current defending champion, by an impressive margin of 1.633 points. Another member of the U.S. team, Shilese Jones, also managed to secure a podium finish, coming in third place with a total score of 56.332 points.

Biles has now earned her 27th medal in world championships, out of which 21 are gold. She accomplished this just 48 hours after guiding the US women's team to a remarkable seventh consecutive victory in the team event, having won four Olympic gold medals previously.

After taking a two-year hiatus due to her participation in the Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed due to the pandemic and marred by a struggle with a mental hurdle called "the twisties," she has returned. She was predicted to defend her title as the individual all-around champion in Tokyo, but chose to withdraw from the competition in order to prioritize her mental health.

She stated that consistent therapy sessions and practicing breathing and visualization techniques have aided in her recuperation.

"I felt a higher level of anxiety during the team finals because that was when all the events happened in Tokyo. As a result, it left a lasting impression on me. However, today, I felt more at ease," she expressed. "I'm glad that it's now over, and I can move on."

Biles has achieved a remarkable feat of winning 34 medals in both the world championships and Olympics, thus making her the most successful gymnast ever in these two major events. This outstanding achievement surpasses the retired male gymnast Vitaly Scherbo's record.

She has achieved six all-around world titles, equating the record for the most ever obtained.

Biles expressed that she focuses on her record-breaking accomplishments on a regular basis, particularly when discussing it during therapy. This is typically when her emotions surface and she reflects on the impact she has had on the sport and how she has pushed it forward. Although she finds it thrilling, she believes that she won't fully grasp the significance of her achievements until she retires and reflects on all that she has accomplished.

Biles' perfect performance came to a slight halt just before the end of her floor routine. Despite her impressively near-perfect execution, she stumbled as she was about to perform a series of jumps. However, she quickly regained her composure and seamlessly continued her routine, resulting in only a minor deduction in points that did not affect her gold medal win.

"I am aware that my folks suffered a heart attack," Biles informed her trainer.

As the Olympics Games draw closer to Paris next year, Biles has managed to return to her highest level of performance. Despite the strong rivalry presented by Andrade and Jones, she still proves to be superior to the other competitors, maintaining her reign for over ten years now.

According to her coach, Cecile Landi, she gets better and better with age just like a fine wine.

She made a comeback and wowed audiences at the U.S. Classic in the beginning of August, then snagged her eighth national title a few weeks after. She is participating in her inaugural world championships since 2019 this week.

Biles garnered the most enthusiastic applause during the athlete introduction, and Andrade's name was also met with thunderous cheers.

Biles, Jones, and Andrade started their competition with the same rotation, beginning with the vault. Jones did well at the beginning by successfully performing a double-twisting Yurchenko, but had a small hop that earned her 14.233 points.

Biles wore a blue leotard during her performance and decided to do a Cheng vault instead of the more challenging Yurchenko double pike she demonstrated in team qualifying. She executed the vault almost flawlessly, earning 15.100 points. The current champion, Andrade, also did a Cheng but did not execute it as well as Biles, receiving 14.700 points.

Despite struggling with her performance on the uneven bars, Biles was still able to score a 14.333, which put her in first place ahead of Andrade. After a long wait, Andrade delivered an exceptional routine on the bars, narrowing the gap with Biles to only 0.233 points before they moved on to the balance beam.

Biles appeared slightly unsteady while getting onto the beam, but the following steps in her performance were exceptional. Jones pulled off a fantastic performance which led to her securing the second position overall, and Biles gave her a warm embrace in appreciation of her effort.

Andrade went out of the designated area just a few moments before finishing her floor routine. This misstep negatively affected her score by three-tenths of a point, but it did not cause her to lose her silver medal despite an otherwise remarkable performance.

Biles and Jones were happy that three athletes who were not white were in the top three positions.

Biles expressed her admiration for their group of black girls on the podium, describing it as an incredible display of magic by black girls. She hopes that this accomplishment inspires young girls to realize that they are capable of achieving anything.

According to Jones, she thinks that some young girls might say "I can't do it" due to their skin color. However, she encourages them to have self-belief and understand that they can accomplish anything.

This upcoming weekend, Biles is set to compete in the finals for the women's vault and uneven bars on Saturday. On Sunday, she will also compete in the finals for the balance beam and floor exercise.