Simone Biles wins her seventh U.S. gymnastics title ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Simone Biles completed a historic weekend in Fort Worth, Texas, with ease on Sunday night — and looks more than ready for Tokyo.
Biles won her seventh all-around U.S. Gymnastics Championships title on Sunday with an overall score of 119.950, which gives her the most wins at the event by any woman in American history.
Biles surpassed Clara Schroth Lomady’s previous record of six titles with her win. She’s now tied with Alfred Jochim for the most by any American, man or woman, and has won every title but once since she first entered back in 2013.
The 🐐 does it again!@Simone_Biles now holds 7 Senior Women's All-Around national championships, the most of all time! #USGymChamps pic.twitter.com/6XQ9KEJsDF
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) June 7, 2021
She beat runner-up Sunisa Lee by nearly five full points. Jordan Chiles came in third just 0.500 points back from Lee. Emma Malabuyo and Leanne Wong rounded out the top five.
“It’s really emotional, especially going into my second time doing an Olympic run,” she said on NBC. “It’s really crazy.”
Biles held the top scores in the vault, balance beam and floor exercise throughout the event, and took third in the uneven bars.
And THAT'S how you do it.@Simone_Biles starts off the night with a spectacular routine on beam. #USGymChamps pic.twitter.com/FnsJzN0mTW
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 6, 2021
The HEIGHT on Simone's second vault. 🤯@Simone_Biles // #USGymChamps pic.twitter.com/1GdXzM1388
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 7, 2021
.@Simone_Biles is now a 7️⃣-time U.S. all-around CHAMPION! 👑 #USGymChamps pic.twitter.com/Lo3HjNXz5v
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 7, 2021
The 24-year-old is clearly gearing up for the Olympics, too, as her floor routine was set to a song from “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift” — which included an incredible “never-been-done-before” move dubbed “The Biles.”
FACT: @Simone_Biles spends more time in the air than on the ground. #USGymChamps pic.twitter.com/AwLvSCsB5Z
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) June 6, 2021
Biles now preparing for Olympic trials
With the U.S. Championships now behind her, Biles and her teammates will now prepare for the Olympic Trials later this month.
The top two athletes who finish at the three-day event in St. Louis, Missouri, will automatically make the Olympics squad for the rescheduled games starting July 23 in Tokyo. Two others will be chosen for the team, and a fifth athlete will advance as an individual.
Biles, naturally, is all but certain to make the team — which would allow the five-time medalist to attempt to defend her all-around Gold medal from the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Lee and Chiles are strong favorites to make it to Tokyo, too.
Chiles, 20, has now finished second to biles twice in the past three weeks after taking sixth at nationals in 2019.
“I told her that she had done it and she belongs here, and that we’re going to go to [Olympic] Trials and do the exact same thing because this is what we trained for,” Biles said of Chiles, via NBC. “I’m happy she got to go out there and show the world what she’s capable of because she deserves it.”
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