FORT WORTH, Texas – Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles won her ninth US Championship on Sunday, leaving little doubt that at 27 years old and more than a decade at the top of the sport, she is as good as ever. .
Biles posted a two-day total of 119.750, nearly six points ahead of runner-up Skye Blakely, making it clear that she appears poised to score a second all-around Olympic gold in addition to the one she captured in 2016.
In front of an audience that included her husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, Biles performed a four-rotation clinic that featured all the hallmarks of a typical Biles performance. There was amazing athleticism mixed with precision and more than a touch of swagger.
Biles finished with the highest two-day score in all four events, something she had only done once before at nationals (2018), to build plenty of momentum ahead of the Olympic trials later this month in Minneapolis.
His only misstep on Sunday came on the jump. She came up short on Ella Yurchenko's double pike (two backflips with hands clasped behind knees) during warmups and overcompensated when necessary, generating so much force that she ended up on her back. She still received 15,000 for her effort, a testament to a jump that has never been completed in competition by another woman and has only been attempted by a select group of men.
Not that it bothered him. Biles composed herself, took a few deep breaths, and then performed a Cheng vault that was rewarded with a 15.1 and put a ninth national title within reach, heady territory considering no other gymnast in the history of the sport in the U.S. The US has more than Seven.
While Biles remains ahead of contention, as usual, there is plenty of competition for the other four spots on the five-woman U.S. team that will head to Paris as the heavy favorite to return to the top of the Olympic podium after finishing second. behind Russia in Tokyo three years ago.
Blakely, 19, turned in another impressive performance and will head to Minneapolis with plenty of momentum. Three years after his bid to make the 2020 Olympic team ended with an injury, Blakely is peaking at the right time.
Suni Lee, the 2020 Olympic champion who has spent more than a year battling kidney problems that have limited her training, overcame an early mistake on vault to create graceful routines on uneven bars and balance beam like few others in the world, even Biles… can match.
Olympians Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey are also in contention, although both suffered falls on the beam on Sunday. Third-place finisher Kayla DiCello went off the uneven bars. Leanne Wong, perhaps looking fatigued after a long season competing in Florida, also suffered unusual errors.
Shilese Jones, considered the best gymnast in the United States without the last name Biles, withdrew from the championships on Friday citing a shoulder injury, although she said Sunday that she was feeling better and plans to be available for rehearsals. So will Kaliya Lincoln, 18, who opted not to compete Sunday after tweaking something during Friday night's opening session.
Both, if healthy, appear to be serious contenders to earn an invitation to Paris (Jones in particular). If not, the door could open wide for others and test the depth the elite senior program has been touting for years.
