ANTWERP – Simone Biles enjoyed a virtual sweep in qualifying at the Gymnastics World Championships on Monday, further burying the nightmare she experienced at the Tokyo Olympics.
The United States superstar took top spot in the all-around, vault, beam and floor and appears certain to comfortably add to her 25 world championship medals made up of 19 gold, three silver and three bronze.
The only athlete to get the better of her on Monday was 16-year-old Qiu Qiyuan of China on the uneven bars.
In total, Biles has 58.865 points for a near two-point lead over compatriot Shilese Jones (56.932) and Jessica Gadirova of Britain (56.766). Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, the revelation of the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, took fourth place with 56.599 points.
Biles’ only disappointment came on the uneven bars where she was fifth after being penalised for a fall.
“I don’t know, it happens in gymnastics. You have to think quickly so as not to forget the sequences,” she said.
“I recovered well and that’s the most important thing.”
On Sunday, 26-year-old Biles made history by becoming the first female gymnast to execute a “Yurchenko double pike vault” – now renamed “Biles II” – during women’s team qualifying.
A four-gold Olympic champion, the American made headlines at the Tokyo Games when she withdrew from multiple events due to the “twisties”, a loss of spatial awareness in mid-air, which is an experience that can be terrifying for even the most experienced gymnasts.
She took a lengthy two-year break and returned to action only at the beginning of August, but demonstrated that she had lost none of her incredible level.
She won the US Classic, where she obtained the best scores on vault, floor and beam, followed by a record eighth US all-around title at the national championships.
However, Biles has not competed at the worlds since the 2019 edition in Stuttgart, where she earned five golds and had new skills named after her when she successfully landed her signature moves.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are her ultimate target but she also said that she will approach her third Games a bit differently, focusing on being fully fit both physically and mentally.
“I think I’ve always had the competitive drive, so I don’t think that taking the time off taught me a lot about the competitive side of me,” she said in August.
“I think it was more about the personal side and getting to truly take care of myself mentally and physically and make sure everything is in tune, so that whenever I am competing everything goes well.”
Before Paris, though, her focus is on the world championships and, on Wednesday, she will go for a first gold in Antwerp in the women’s team event. AFP, REUTERS
