LONDON: Simone Biles has claimed a record eighth all-around US Championship less than a month after ending a two-year break from gymnastics.
The 19-time world champion, 26, claimed the record-breaking crown – 10 years after winning her first – as she posted a total of 118.40, four clear of runner-up Shilese Jones, in San Jose, California.
Biles returned to competition in Chicago earlier this month after suffering from “the twisties” – a phenomenon that affects an athlete’s spatial awareness – and withdrawing from five of her six finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 to focus on her mental health.
The seven-time Olympic medallist became the oldest female US champion since the event was first organised by USA Gymnastics in 1963.
She is expected to bid to add to her haul of 25 World Championship medals in Antwerp in September.
Biles has not confirmed whether she plans to compete at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Olympic champion Sunisa Lee, who has battled a mystery kidney issue for much of the year, performed strongly on the beam and could head to Antwerp as a specialist on the apparatus. – BERNAMA-dpa
