Simone Biles won a record ninth U.S. all-around championship in Fort Worth, Texas, earning her an automatic berth to the U.S. Olympic Trials ahead of the Paris Games.
In an extraordinary display of athleticism and skill, Simone Biles has won her ninth national championship, setting a new record in the process. This remarkable achievement also earns her a coveted spot at the upcoming Olympic Trials.
Biles, widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, delivered a series of flawless performances that captivated the audience and judges alike. Her consistency, precision, and unparalleled talent once again demonstrated why she remains a dominant force in the sport.
Biles, the 37-time world and Olympic medalist, also won national titles on all four apparatuses at the U.S. Championships.
The top two finishers — Biles and Skye Blakely — automatically qualified for the Olympic Trials, which will be held June 27-30 in Minneapolis. The five gymnasts representing the U.S. at the Paris Olympics this summer will be named then.
Kayla DiCello, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles rounded out the top five. At least 10 additional women, determined by a selection committee, will join the automatic qualifiers.
Biles started her night on the balance beam, where she scored a 14.800 with a nearly flawless routine. On the floor exercise, Biles went out of bounds on her eponymous triple-twisting double back flip, but still posted a 15.100.
She fell on the vault performing another skill that bears her name in the code of points, a Yurchenko double pike or the “Biles II.” The difficulty of the vault is so high, Biles scored a 15.000 despite the fall.
Biles secured her ninth national all-around title on the uneven bars in the final rotation, scoring a 14.400.
Blakely, who was a member of the 2022 and 2023 world championship teams, bolstered her Paris hopes by debuting an upgraded vault. She punched her ticket to the Olympic Trials as the second place finisher in the all-around behind Biles and established herself as a medal threat on the event.
Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, competed in all four events for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics. After battling kidney issues for much of last season, Lee had a strong showing in Friday’s competition, but sat down her vault on Sunday.
She placed fourth in the all-around, but her world class routines on the beam (14.900) and the uneven bars (14.500) make her a top contender for the Paris team.
On the first of two days of competition in Fort Worth, Biles distanced herself from the rest of the field, retaining a 3.4-point lead over her closest competitor with a 60.450 in the all-around. Biles’ score Friday was her highest since the Olympic Trials in 2021.
Six-time world medalist Shilese Jones withdrew from the Championships hours before Friday’s competition due to a shoulder injury. She filed a petition with USA Gymnastics to compete at the Olympic Trials, which was approved Sunday.
Jones had solidified herself as Team USA’s strongest asset behind Biles at the Core Hydration Classic in May, finishing second in the all-around competition and winning the uneven bars.
Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around gold medalist, also withdrew last week after sustaining a season-ending ankle injury, ending her Paris hopes. Douglas had been eyeing her third Olympic team after an eight-year hiatus from the sport.
The U.S. mens gymnastics team competing in Paris will also be selected in Minneapolis. Brody Malone won his third all-around national title on Saturday after grappling with a serious knee injury last season. Frederick Richard, the reigning world all-around bronze medalist, took silver behind Malone and won the floor exercise.
Biles kicked off her 2024 season with a dominant victory at the Core Hydration Classic.
The Classic was her first competitive outing since the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, in October, when she won a historic sixth individual all-around world title, medaled on three of the four events and led the U.S. women to their seventh straight victory in the team competition.
If Biles, 27, is named to the U.S. Olympic team in Paris, she will be the first American woman since Dominique Dawes to make three Olympic teams.
