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By Ben Morse, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 5:38 PM EDT, Wed October 4, 2023
Simone Biles celebrates during the women's team final at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
CNN —
Simone Biles won her 20th world championships gold medal as the 26-year-old continued her impressive return from a two-year hiatus away from gymnastics, playing a key role in a historic victory for the US in the women’s team final on Wednesday.
Biles’ impressive floor routine ensured the US won its seventh consecutive world title in the women’s team discipline at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
Brazil finished second to earn the country’s first ever world championships medal in women’s gymnastics, with France taking third.
Seven-time Olympic medalist Biles was joined by teammates Skye Blakey, Shilese Jones, Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong in the team final. However Roberson, who trains with Biles in Texas, experienced heartbreak in the warmups when she suffered an ankle injury.
Wong filled the void left by Roberson by taking part in the vault and floor, two apparatus the 20-year-old had originally not been expected to compete in.
Biles recorded 14.800 in the vault, 14.466 on the bars and 14.300 on the beam in the first three apparatus.
The 26-year-old was the final member of the US team to compete in the floor section knowing that a big performance would clinch another gold medal for herself and her teammates.
Smiling throughout her routine, Biles oozed confidence as she performed her twists and turns with elan, barely putting a foot wrong, as the judges gave her a score of 15.166.
The US team combined for a total score of 167.729 points, winning by a narrow margin of just 2.199 points.
In a congratulatory message on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, USA Gymnastics wrote that the US women’s team was in a “league of its own.”
Biles has now won 26 world championship medals – 20 gold, three silver and three bronze.
The American gymnast has now tied Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo with the most overall medals (33) across the Olympics and the world championships.
This has been a momentous event for Biles, returning to the place where she made her world championships debut in 2013, when the American won all-round and floor exercise gold, as well as vault silver and beam bronze.
In the 10 years since, Biles has gone onto become the most decorated gymnast in US history and one of the greats of the sport.
Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise during the World Championships in 2019.
Biles talks with her grandfather, Ron, as she trains in Houston in August 2013. Biles grew up in Spring, Texas, just outside of Houston.
Biles competes on the balance beam during the US National Gymnastics Championships in August 2013. She won gold in the individual all-around.
Biles dodges a bee flying near her during the medal ceremony at the 2014 World Championships. She successfully defended her title in the individual all-around.
Biles, left, poses at home with her grandparents Ron and Nellie, who adopted her and her younger sister Adria, right.
Biles practices in Houston in January 2016.
Biles, right, and fellow gymnast Gabby Douglas stand during the opening ceremony of the 2016 US Olympic Trials. Both made the team. Douglas was the Olympic all-around champion in 2012.
Biles celebrates with her teammates after the US Olympic Trials in 2016.
Biles competes on the balance beam at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She won gold in the individual all-around and the team all-around. She also added two more golds and a bronze.
Biles competes on the uneven bars at the 2016 Olympics.
From left, US gymnasts Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas celebrate after winning gold in the team all-around at the 2016 Olympics.
Biles celebrates with the gold medal she earned for her individual all-around title at the 2016 Olympics.
Biles has her legs held by host Jimmy Fallon as she plays a game called Hungry Hungry Humans on "The Tonight Show" in August 2016. Also playing were actor Donald Glover and some of Biles' teammates.
Biles poses with swimming legend Michael Phelps, Raisman and actress Olivia Munn during a recording of the show "Lip Sync Battle: All Stars Live" in September 2016.
First lady Michelle Obama rests her elbow on Biles' head as President Barack Obama speaks at the White House in September 2016. The Obamas were hosting an event for US Olympians.
Biles takes a photo with a young fan in Houston in September 2016.
Biles competes in "Dancing with the Stars" with Sasha Farber in 2017. They would finish in fourth place.
Biles speaks after receiving the ESPY Award for best female athlete in 2017.
Biles performs with the Houston Texans cheerleaders in December 2017.
Biles competes on the uneven bars during the 2018 World Championships. She won gold in the individual all-around.
Biles soars through the air while competing on the uneven bars at the World Championships in 2019. Again, she won gold in the individual all-around.
Biles celebrates after winning the balance beam final at the 2019 World Championships.
During the GK US Classic in May 2021, Biles became the first woman in history to land a Yurchenko double pike vault in competition.
Biles lands awkwardly while competing in the team all-around at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. Biles stumbled on the vault landing and then pulled out of the competition over mental-health concerns.
Biles is congratulated by coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi after they realized Biles would win an Olympic bronze medal in the balance beam final in July 2021. Biles had pulled out of several events earlier in Tokyo, citing mental health concerns. Specifically, she said she had "the twisties," a mental block in gymnastics in which competitors lose track of their positioning midair. Her bronze medal tied her with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals ever won by an American gymnast.
From left, Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman are sworn in to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2021. They sharply criticized how FBI agents handled the sexual abuse allegations against Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor now serving a long prison sentence.
President Joe Biden awards Biles with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July 2022. Biles, 25, became the youngest person ever to receive the award. "When she stands on the podium,we see what she is: absolute courage to turn personal pain into a greater purpose, to stand and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves," Biden said.
Biles appears on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in September 2022. On the right is US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Biles competes in the uneven bars at the Core Hydration Classic in August 2023. It was her first competitive event since 2021, and she won the all-around.
Biles celebrates after winning a record eighth national all-around title at the US Gymnastics Championships in August 2023. The 26-year-old also became the oldest woman to ever win the championships.
Biles lands a Yurchenko double pike vault — a high-difficulty skill historically only done by men — while qualifying for the women's all-around competition at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in October 2023. It was the first time a woman landed the move in an international competition.
Biles celebrates after winning the individual all-around at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in October 2023. By winning gold, she became the most decorated female or male gymnast ever, surpassing Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo's record of 33 overall medals across both the Olympics and the world championships.
Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise during the US Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, in June 2024. Biles dominated the event, turning in the top cumulative scores in the four events -- balance beam, floor exercise, uneven bars and vault -- despite a second day spill in the latter.
In pictures: Superstar gymnast Simone Biles
By competing in Antwerp this time around, Biles became the first woman to represent the US at six artistic world championships.
Even before Wednesday’s gold medal, it had already been an impressive competition for Biles, who made history on the opening day of championships.
On Sunday, the American finished first in the women’s all-around qualification and became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault – a high-difficulty skill historically only done by men – at an international competition.
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Simone Biles filmed practicing for first time since mental health break
01:03 - Source: CNN
It is Biles’ first competition back on the world stage since the Tokyo 2020 Games when she pulled out of several events suffering from what is known as the “twisties” – a mental block causing a gymnast to lose track of their positions in midair.
Since then, she has once again displayed all the qualities that have carried her to the pinnacle of the sport, coming back to win a record eighth national all-around title.
Biles will also take part in the women’s individual all-around final on Friday, before the women’s vault and uneven bars finals on October 7 and the balance beam and floor exercise finals the following day.
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