Simone Biles made an even bigger mark on the sport of gymnastics on Sunday while competing at the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
Biles competed in her first international tournament since she got the “twisties” at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and had to pull out of a few events to get her mind right. The fourth rotation is where Biles made history.
Biles became the first female gymnast to perform a Yurchenko double pike vault. The maneuver will be named the Biles II – the fifth skill named after the American gymnast.
She led the dominant U.S. team, posting an all-around total of 58.865 to lead qualifying through two subdivisions. She registered the best scores on floor exercise, vault and balance beam. She finished second behind teammate Shilese Jones on uneven bars.
The American team scored a 171.395 and will be a heavy favorite to win a team title on Wednesday. The all-around finals are on Friday with event finals set for Saturday and Sunday.
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Biles appears to be in tiptop shape will the 2024 Olympics less than a year away. Biles has not exactly said she will be at the Games but suggested it last month in an interview on NBC’s “Today.”
She said it was the “path I would love to go.”
“I think we have to be a little bit more cautious about how we do things, so everything that we’re doing leading up to this next Games or whatever is very intentional,” Biles said.
“So we’ve kind of been playing it on the down-low this time, making sure mentally and physically are both intact. So I think it’ll be different, but it’ll be good.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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