ST LOUIS • Simone Biles recorded her highest score yet on Sunday, to become the first woman in more than 40 years to win four consecutive US women's gymnastics championships.
The teenager posted a two-day all-around score of 125.000 in St Louis, better than the previous high of 124.100 she recorded a year ago, and matched the four straight titles won by Joan Moore-Gnat in 1971-74.
The 19-year-old's score, highlighted by a near perfect score in the vault, was almost four points better than runner-up and double London Olympic gold medallist Aly Raisman (121.100).
Lauren Hernandez (120.500) placed third, followed by Gabby Douglas (117.800), who also won two gold medals in London, and Madison Kocian (116.450).
The top five finishers, along with Amelia Hundley, Alyssa Baumann and 15-year-old Ragan Smith earned automatic berths to the US Olympic Team Trials in San Jose in two weeks, when the official five-woman team for the Rio Games will be named.
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125.0
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Two-day all-around score for Simone Biles at the US women's gymnastics championships.
USA Gymnastics added Christina Desiderio, Brenna Dowell, Rachel Gowey, Ashton Locklear, Maggie Nichols, Emily Schild and MyKayla Skinner to the trials roster.
Biles, however, is not getting ahead of herself before the Olympic trials.
"I guess there's really no other steps besides trials and making the team," she said. "We're one step ahead again."
REUTERS
