Simone Biles won her eighth all-around title in the US Gymnastics Championships, breaking a 90-year record.
Her victory came less than a month after she returned to competition after a two-year sabbatical to work on her mental health.
The 26-year-old’s floor routine received a score of 15.400, giving her an all-around total of 118.450, with Shilese Jones trailed in second place by 3.9 points.
“It just doesn’t feel real for some reason,” remarked Biles
Biles surpasses Alfred Jochim, who won his eighth US title in 1933.
She was the only participant to finish the two days of competition in San Jose with two scores of 15 or better, having taken command of the event on Friday with a 15.700 on the vault.
Biles first won the US all-around title in 2013, and she matched Jochim’s record in 2021.
Later that year, she retired from gymnastics after withdrawing from five of her six finals at the postponed Tokyo Olympics.
She later explained that she had been suffering from ‘the twisties,’ a mental block in which gymnasts can lose their sense of space in the air. “It just doesn’t feel real for some reason,” remarked Biles
Biles, who did earn a bronze medal on the balance beam and team silver in Tokyo, is yet to say if she will compete in next year’s Olympics in Paris.
She is slated to compete in the World Championships in Antwerp from September 30 to October 8, when she will have the opportunity to add to her collection of 25 world medals, including 19 golds.
