If you give Simone Biles a record, she will break it. Forget the third time the charm; Biles has won a record ninth all-around US National Gymnastics title in Forth-Worth Texas after scoring gold in all four events. According to Yahoo Sports, Biles is the first male or female gymnast to have nine wins. She held the record when she beat out Alfred Jochim last year, and she is also the oldest athlete to do so.
For her historic win, The Athletic says, the award-winning gymnast received an engraved silver belt buckle. That’s just a token because she’s earned a spot at the Olympic trials later this summer. Paris would be her third Olympic games.
Consider that Gabby Douglas won her first gold medal at 16. And until this week, had her eye on Paris as well. Dominique Dawes was a member of the US Olympic team from 1992-1996, winning four medals.
Simone Biles is now 27 years old, and she continues to defy the odds. But she has also had her share of challenges. In 2021, when she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics with the twisties, “an athlete’s terms for the sudden loss of air awareness during a routine.” Many thought her career was over. But Biles persevered and made her way back. But has kept her plans closely guarded.
When she stepped out of the Tokyo Olympics, her friend, Jordan Chiles, now 23, stepped up. Afterward, Chiles joined the UCLA gymnastics team, and she and Biles have been training hard for Paris together, according to Fox News. Chiles finished fifth in the nationals. But the next generation of Black gymnasts is already here, and she came in second at nationals. Her name is Skye Blakely from Frisco, Texas.
