Simone Biles proves she’s back and ready to go as she wins her record 9th U.S. Championship ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 27-year-old famed athlete brought her A-game to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth on Sunday, June 2. Appearing to be a key contender in the event, Biles finished with a two-day total of 119.750. She also won gold in every apparatus, floor, vault, beam, and uneven bars.
19-year-old Skye Blakely finished second place with nearly six points behind Simone Biles at 113.850. Kayle Dicello came in third, Suni Lee finished in fourth, and Jordan Chiles placed in fifth.
Following the Championship, Biles spoke to reporters about the upcoming Paris Olympics. “It took a lot mentally and physically to just trust my gymnastics again and most importantly trust myself,” Biles stated, per PEOPLE. “I think that was the hardest part after Tokyo is I didn’t trust myself to do gymnastics.”
Simone Biles also shared, “Now, having gone to two Olympics, each one gets a little bit more stressful because I know exactly what to expect. I know exactly what I expect from myself.”
In regards to being the first American woman to make the Olympic gymnastics teams since Dominique Dawes, Biles added, “I use the phrase ‘aging like fine wine.’ It’s just getting better and better. We’ll see. Hopefully we get to ride this out for the rest of the year.”
Biles will next compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials where she and 13 other U.S. gymnasts will compete to earn a ticket to the 2024 Olympics, which will start on July 26.
With Biles, DiCello, Blakely, Lee, and Chiles, others on the U.S. National Team are Jade Carey, Dulcy Caylor, Eveylynn Lowe, Zoey Molomo, Hezly Rivera, Joscelyn Roberson, Simone Rose, Tiana Sumanasekera and Leanne Wong.
Simone Biles Worred that America Hated Her After ‘Twisties’ Incident During 2021 Tokyo Olympics
During her appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast in April, Simone Biles opened up about her worries after her “twisties” struggles during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
“America hates me,” she recalled thinking. “The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now.”
“Twisties” is notably when a gymnast hits a mental block and loses spatial awareness midair. This causes confusion and difficulty of where to land.
Although she ended up having to pull out of the team final and the individual all-around final, Simone Biles earned the bronze medal in the beam final.
“If I could’ve gotten on a plane and flown home, I would’ve done it,” Biles admitted. “I thought I was going to be banned from America, ’cause that’s what they tell you: ‘Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back.’”