Simone Biles makes history with 8th national all-around title
Simone Biles made history again when she won a historic 8th national all-around title on Sunday, August 27 at the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships with a final score of 118,450.
The 26-year-old took first place in the all-around, floor and balance beam competitions at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Biles got a standing ovation after her last event, the floor exercise. The win makes Biles the first gymnast ever to win eight national all-around titles. She is also the oldest United States women’s all-around champion.
Biles previously clinched seven national all-around titles, level with the late Alfred Jochim, who claimed a seventh title in 1933.
After the event, she told NBC Sports that returning to the championships and receiving a standing ovation felt “really special.”
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Her historic win comes just weeks after she returned to competitive gymnastics for the first time in two years. Despite the break, she was still at her best, winning gold at the Core Hydration Classic in Chicago earlier this month.
Both events are considered key to participating in next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. However, Biles tried to stay in the moment and not overdo it.
“Right now I think I should just accept what happened today. Happy for me, for my teammates,” she told reporters in Chicago after the Aug. 6 Classic. “We’re going to start the championship in a couple of weeks and work on the tweaks we have today.” But I’m in a really good position and who knows? I won’t think that far ahead. I know everyone is like this: when you get married, they ask when you’re going to have a baby. You come to the Classics and they ask you about the Olympics. I think we’re just trying to take it step by step and we’ll see.”
Her return to competition comes after a traumatic run at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She was forced to withdraw from several Olympics (which had been postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) after being caught under the “Wicks” had suffered. (The “twisties” occur when an athlete loses control of their body while spinning through the air during a routine.)
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“It felt really good [getting back out there], especially after everything that’s happened over the last year,” Biles added at the time. “So everyone cheering, doing placards in the crowd and all of that just melted my heart that they still believe in me.” I came back here and did what I trained, so am I am very satisfied with the result.”
She added, “I’m grateful to have this opportunity to come back here and compete in front of an audience because I really didn’t think I would ever compete here again.”
Before returning to competitive gymnastics, Biles married Jonathan Owens. She and the NFL star first met online in 2020 and tied the knot in front of family and friends in April.
The Green Bay Packers safety saw Biles on TV Sunday night, he revealed via Instagram Story. (He had his own game Saturday in Wisconsin.) “Right back, let’s get it on!” he said in a video while watching his wife prepare to take over the vault.