World gymnastics superstar Simone Biles took another step towards her return to the Paris Olympics, taking the lead in the women’s all-around at the US Championships in San Jose, a month before the Worlds in Antwerp .
The 26-year-old quadruple Olympic champion shone on the first evening of competition performing a double pike Yurchenko, a jump so difficult that no other gymnast has ever performed it in competition.
For his second competition since his return to the mats, after a two-year break following his withdrawal from several events of the Tokyo Games in 2021, Biles could already make history again.
With a victory on Sunday, she would become the first gymnast, male or female, to win eight national titles in the United States, breaking the record set by Alfred Jochim in 1933 which she had equaled in 2021.
“I’m happy with my performance today,” Biles told American television. I have personal goals that I want to achieve and I work for them.
Even before the end of these national championships, Biles already appears as one of the favorites for the title of world champion which will be awarded in Antwerp next month, and by extension as a contender for Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.
Although she won a bronze medal in Tokyo in 2021, Simone Biles’ last Olympics remain marked by her decision to withdraw from most events as she struggled against the “twisties”, dangerous loss of bearings in space putting athletes at risk of injury when they land.
His withdrawal was then widely welcomed in a period of growing awareness of mental health issues in high-level sport.
While keeping a close eye on her mental health, Biles appears to have returned to the condition that led her to four gold medals at the Rio Olympics since her return to competition at the US Classic on August 5. in 2016 and a total of 19 world titles.
