Simone Biles wins 6th world title, becomes most decorated gymnast in history
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on October 9, 2023
(ANTWERP, Belgium) — Simone Biles has made gymnastics history.
On Friday, the gymnastics superstar, 26, won her 27th world championship medal when she earned the gold for the individual all-around title at the world championships in Antwerp, Belgium, with a score of 58.399 in the women’s all-around. The win was her sixth all-around title, the most in history (man or woman).
In competition Sunday, Biles tacked on three more medals with a gold performance on the balance beam and gold in her floor routine, plus a silver on vault.
“Ten years ago I won my first worlds so it was emotional. It means everything to me, the fight, everything that I’ve put in to get back to this place, feel comfortable and confident enough to compete,” Biles said after the competition.
Biles has won a record 37 world and Olympic medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in history.
“I’m hanging in there. Obviously it’s a lot coming in day in and day out and competing, but I’m proud of the work that I put in and that’s exactly why we work so hard in the gym, putting those numbers in and workin on that endurance,” Biles said in an interview with NBC Olympics. “But I am ready to go home and relax.”
Shilese Jones, Biles’ Team USA teammate, earned bronze in the women’s all-around category with a score of 56.332. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil earned a score of 56.766 and won silver.
At the podium after her win, Biles was in tears as the national anthem played.
The win comes two days after the U.S. women’s gymnastics team cemented a spot in sports history with its seventh consecutive world championship.
Biles, who leads the team, helped carry Team USA to a record-breaking gold medal at the world championships. The gymnast performed a floor routine, which earned the highest score of the day and solidified the team’s victory by more than two points over Brazil.
Biles’ history-making win on Friday was also a full-circle moment for the athlete. A decade ago, the U.S. gymnast won her first individual all-around title in the same city when she made her global debut at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
ABC News’ Jill Tatara and Rachel Katz contributed to this report.
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