CNN
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Simone Biles continues to make history at the World Gymnastics Championships, winning the women’s individual all-around final on Friday, earning her 21st world championship gold medal.
The 26-year-old American had a near-perfect performance in Antwerp, Belgium, finishing second ahead of Rebecca Andrade and third over Sires Jones, winning her sixth individual all-around title at the World Championships. did.
After the final winning score was announced, Biles was all smiles and hugged his teammates and coaches.
Later, she wiped tears from her eyes as the U.S. national anthem played.
“I was so emotional because I came here 10 years ago and it was my first world and this was my 6th time. I’m sure there’s something in there and I can’t get it out,” Biles told reporters. “So while I was looking up there, it was kind of a combination of both.”
With her gold medal, she also became the most decorated female or male gymnast in history, surpassing Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 33 overall medals at both the Olympics and World Championships.
Biles has already won one gold medal at the 2023 World Championships and has a chance to win four more as she headlines the U.S. women’s team gold medal in Wednesday’s team final.
She will compete in the women’s vault and uneven bars finals on Saturday, and the balance beam and floor exercise finals are scheduled for Sunday.
In photo: Superstar gymnast Simone Biles
Amazing falls and stumbles
Biles, who has five moves named for his ability to push his limits in this sport, started the individual all-around final on vault with an impressive 15.1 rating, 5.6 difficulty rating, and 9.5 execution rating. He showed a great performance.
She kept the pressure on her competitors by scoring a 14.333 on the uneven bars and then a 14.433 on beam.
Andrade performed admirably on the final floor, but Biles’ counterattack was elegant, precise and explosive, drawing gasps from the crowd at her fall and ensuring the American took gold despite a small stumble. Obtained.
The surprise of the unforced error caused a slight look of shock to appear on Mr. Biles’ face, and then his bright smile returned.
Biles scored a total of 58.399 points on the four devices, beating Andrade’s 56.766 points by 1.633 points.
Already the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history, Biles has won 27 medals at world championships, including 21 gold, three silver, and three bronze.
What Biles accomplished after missing several events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and staying away from competition for two years due to a mental block called “twisty,” which causes gymnasts to lose their position in the air. This is especially true in Antwerp.
With her appearance in Belgium, Biles became the first woman to represent the United States at six World Gymnastics Championships.
She placed first in the women’s individual all-around heats on the first day, becoming the first woman to land Yurchenko’s double pike vault (a highly difficult skill historically reserved for men) in an international competition.
On Wednesday, Biles then performed an impressive floor routine that helped the U.S. win its seventh consecutive gold medal in the women’s team final.
Former U.S. gymnast Dominique Dawes told CNN This Morning on Thursday that what Biles accomplished in Belgium was “amazing.”
“I’m completely in awe of what she’s doing. My kids are big fans of Simone Biles, and what I love is that she’s enjoying this journey. “It’s about being there,” Dawes said.
“She’s laughing along the way. She’s a great teammate and will leave a lasting impact.”