Simone Biles made history again!
A month after winning her eighth USA title, the gymnast, 26, secured her spot at the upcoming World Championships by winning the all-around at the qualifying event in Katy, Texas, on Tuesday night. She has now become the first US woman to be selected to six World Cup teams.
Despite uncharacteristic mistakes in all four events, Biles finished with 55.700 points. Current world silver medalist Shilesa Jones was second with 55.300 and Skye Blakely was third with 55.000. The remaining five members of Team USA will be announced after the second day of competition on Wednesday.
Biles celebrated her achievement by sharing a post from USA Gymnastics on her Instagram Story. “Back to where it all started. See you soon, Belgium,” she wrote, referring to her first appearance at the World Championships at the Sportpaleis Arena in Antwerp in 2013 when she won two gold medals.
Simone Biles celebrated her success with a post on Instagram.
Ezra Shaw/Getty; simonebiles/Instagram
Despite her triumph, Biles had a rough start in Tuesday’s qualifying competition. She fell on bars — the first event — dropping to 10th place with a score of 12.850, according to USA Today.
She bounced back in the second rotation, earning a 14.050 on beam, but struggled on the floor exercise, going off the floor twice. However, she managed to achieve the highest score of the competition, 14.300. She finished the all-around with a 14.550 on vault, performing her signature Yurchenko double.
Simone Biles eyes World Championships after 2-year hiatus: ‘I feel a lot more confident now’ (Exclusive)
After the competition, Chellsie Memmel, technical director of the women’s gymnastics program, admitted that Tuesday was not Biles’ best result. “She said, ‘Yeah, I don’t know what happened,'” Memmel said of her conversation with Biles after the meeting, USA Today reported.
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“[I said], ‘Get it out here,'” Memmel added. “We’re just going to turn the page. She knows it wasn’t even close to her personal best, but she’s fine now.”
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Simone Biles competes in the Core Hydration Classic on August 5th.
Stacy Revere/Getty
Simone Biles eyes Paris 2024 Olympics amid return to gymnastics: ‘That’s the path I’d like to take’
Biles’ ticket to the upcoming World Championships comes after the athlete revealed she is eyeing a return to the Olympics in 2024. While appearing on Today show earlier this month, Biles admitted she has her sights set on Paris.
“Right now, I’d say that’s the path I’d like to take,” she said of competing in the upcoming Olympics.
However, she noted that she is taking it one step at a time as she eases back into competition after a two-year hiatus from the sport. Biles admitted that she is “a little more careful” with her training.
“Everything we do in the run-up to the next Games, or whatever, is very intentional,” she explained, adding that her top priority is keeping herself healthy, both physically and mentally.
“I think I need to take a little more care of myself and listen to my body and make sure I make time for the important things in my life, instead of before it was just go, go, go and then make time afterwards,” she explained.
“This time I’m intentional, I’m going to therapy, I’m making sure everything is aligned so I can do my best in the gym and be a good wife, a good daughter, a good friend — all the good things.”
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Source: HIS Education