Simone Biles wins record eighth national all-around title: How she made history once again

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Simone Biles won a record eighth national all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose on Sunday with a total score of 118.450 over two nights of competition. Here’s what you need to know:

  • At 26 years old, Biles is also the oldest woman to ever win the U.S. all-around crown.
  • Shilese Jones finished second with a combined score of 114.550 while Leanne Wong took bronze with a 111.100.
  • Biles also won national titles on balance beam and floor exercise while picking up bronze on uneven bars. Though she had the highest score on vault both nights, she didn’t compete two different vaults Sunday, which made her ineligible for a medal on the event.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

How Biles made history (again)

Biles built a 2.55-point cushion for herself by totaling a 59.300 in the all-around Friday during night one of competition. She earned a massive 15.700 on vault for her Yurchenko double pike, which is the hardest vault being done in women’s gymnastics right now. If Biles performs it at an international event, such as the world championships in October, it will become her second eponymous vault in the Code of Points.

Biles didn’t go for the double pike Sunday, but she did open night two on vault with a Cheng, which earned a 14.850. That skill requires a gymnast to do a roundoff onto the springboard followed by an immediate half-turn entry onto the vault table. The gymnast then launches off the table into a laid-out flip with a 1 1/2 twist. It’s among the hardest vaults in the Code of Points, and very few gymnasts compete it.

Two huge scores on floor (14.800 with one out of bounds deduction on Friday, an even better 15.400 with more controlled landings on Sunday) also propelled Biles past her competitors. Her routine includes four wildly difficult tumbling passes, and she still has even harder skills (like the triple-twisting double back tuck, named the Biles II) she could add if she wants to upgrade. She performs her first eponymous skill, a double back layout with a half twist known as the Biles I, as her third pass.

Of course, the GOAT also hit stellar routines on bars and beam. Her beam set night one started off a big shaky, but she reigned it in to score a 14.450. She then nailed her routine night two to gain four tenths, scoring 14.850.

GO DEEPER

How Simone Biles came all the way back for another shot at the Olympics

Any surprises?

Jordan Chiles had a rough meet Sunday with a fall off bars and another off beam. She showed improvements from U.S. Classics on Friday and is typically a consistent competitor, especially after gaining experience by competing every week of the NCAA gymnastics season as a star for UCLA. Don’t count her out, though. She looked solid on floor and has a bit more time to continue polishing her routines before the 2023 World Championship team is selected.

Standout routines

If you’re making a worlds team prediction, you must watch Jones on bars. There’s a reason she’s the reigning wordl silver medalist on the event, and her performances in San Jose make her a very strong contender for the 2023 World Championships team. She gets great height on her release moves and seems to float through her skills.

Wong was a force to be reckoned with all weekend, but her floor routine Sunday was an exclamation point for the Florida Gators star. She stuck three of her four tumbling passes, including a double layout which is a new skill for her. Her bar routine, featuring a full-twisting transition from the high to low bar, was also a highlight.

Required reading

(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty)





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