US gymnast is now the world’s most decorated gymnast ever with 34 medals across world championships and Olympics.
Superstar gymnast Simone Biles made an amazing comeback after a two-year break. She won her 21st world title in all-around gymnastics at the championships in Antwerp, Belgium. On Friday, she performed really well and got 58.399 points, winning the title. Rebeca Andrade from Brazil, the previous champion, came second with 56.766 points. Another teammate from the US, Shilese Jones, got third place with 56.332 points.
Biles did really well in most of the gymnastic events, except for the uneven bars. She’s been winning world titles for ten years now and has a total of 27 world medals, with 21 of them being gold. She also led the US women’s team to their seventh team title in a row.
All in all, Biles now has 34 medals from both the world championships and Olympics. This makes her the most successful gymnast ever, regardless of gender. She’s surpassed the previous record held by a Belarusian gymnast, Vitaly Scherbo, who had 33 medals in total from both events.
Biles also mentioned that she had something in her eye during the competition, which made it a bit challenging.
I was really moved because it’s been 10 years since I first won worlds here in Antwerp, Belgium,” Biles shared about her return to the place where she kickstarted her world achievements in 2013, earning four medals, including two golds.
“This means the world to me, especially after all the hard work I’ve put in to feel at ease and confident enough to compete.”
Looking ahead, there are still two more days of competition, and it seems likely that Biles will add even more medals to her already impressive collection, as she’s set to compete in four more apparatus finals.
Since the Tokyo Olympics, Biles has staged a remarkable comeback in the sport.
Arriving in Japan as the big favourite thanks to her four gold medals won five years earlier in Rio de Janeiro, Biles broke down and withdrew from four of the five finals after suffering from what in the sport is known as “twisties” – a temporary mental block whereby gymnasts lose their sense of where they are in the air.
After her break, Simone Biles is now performing at her best and is getting ready for the Paris Olympics. She wisely used her time off to look after her mental well-being.
Surprisingly, Biles felt less nervous this time around. She explained, “I was much more anxious during the team finals because that’s when everything happened in Tokyo. It was a bit overwhelming for me, so today I felt a bit more at ease. I’m glad that’s behind me now.”
Biles will be competing again this weekend. She’ll take part in the women’s vault and uneven bars finals on Saturday, and then the balance beam and floor exercise finals on Sunday.
SOURCE:ALJAZEERA