Simone Biles Poised for Unprecedented Triumph at World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

Simone Biles is set to make her comeback at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships on Wednesday, aiming to extend her outstanding performance in the competition. The 26-year-old will be competing in the women's team final, as the US strives for its seventh consecutive world title in this discipline.

Biles has already had an outstanding performance in the competition thus far. She made history on the first day of the championships in Antwerp, Belgium. On Sunday, she achieved first place in the women's all-around qualification and accomplished an unprecedented feat: becoming the first woman to successfully execute the Yurchenko double pike vault at an international competition, a skill traditionally limited to men due to its high level of difficulty.

Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise during the World Championships in 2019.

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Biles talks with her grandfather, Ron, as she trains in Houston in August 2013. Biles grew up in Spring, Texas, just outside of Houston.

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Biles competes on the balance beam during the US National Gymnastics Championships in August 2013. She won gold in the individual all-around.

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Biles poses after winning a gold medal at the 2013 World Championships. She finished first in the individual all-around.

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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.

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Biles, left, poses at home with her grandparents Ron and Nellie, who adopted her and her younger sister Adria, right.

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Biles practices in Houston in January 2016.

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Biles and her fellow gymnast, Gabby Douglas, stood together during the opening ceremony of the 2016 US Olympic Trials. Both athletes successfully secured spots on the team, with Douglas having previously earned the title of Olympic all-around champion in 2012.

Biles celebrates with her teammates after the US Olympic Trials in 2016.

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Biles showcased her prowess on the balance beam during the 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro. She achieved glorious triumph in both the individual all-around and the team all-around, thereby securing two additional gold medals along with a bronze.

Biles competes on the uneven bars at the 2016 Olympics.

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US gymnasts Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas jubilantly celebrate their victorious gold medal win in the team all-around event at the 2016 Olympics.

Biles celebrates with the gold medal she earned for her individual all-around title at the 2016 Olympics.

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In August 2016, on "The Tonight Show," host Jimmy Fallon held Biles' legs while they played a game called Hungry Hungry Humans. Joining them were actor Donald Glover and a few 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.

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At a White House event in September 2016, President Barack Obama addressed a gathering of US Olympians while First Lady Michelle Obama casually leaned on Biles' head. A photograph captured this unique moment.

Biles takes a photo with a young fan in Houston in September 2016.

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Biles competes in "Dancing with the Stars" with Sasha Farber in 2017. They would finish in fourth place.

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Biles speaks after receiving the ESPY Award for best female athlete in 2017.

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Biles performs with the Houston Texans cheerleaders in December 2017.

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Biles competes on the uneven bars during the 2018 World Championships. She won gold in the individual all-around.

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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.

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Biles celebrates after winning the balance beam final at the 2019 World Championships.

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During the GK US Classic in May 2021, Biles became the first woman in history to land a Yurchenko double pike vault in competition.

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Biles suffered an awkward landing during her participation in the team all-around event at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. After stumbling on the vault landing, she ultimately withdrew from the competition due to mental-health concerns.

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Coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi congratulates Biles upon realizing her victory in the balance beam final at the Olympics in July 2021. Prior to this, Biles had withdrawn from various events in Tokyo, citing mental health issues. In particular, she attributed her struggle to "the twisties," a psychological barrier experienced by gymnasts where they lose awareness of their body positioning while in midair. With this bronze medal, Biles now shares the record for the highest number of Olympic medals won by an American gymnast with Shannon Miller.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2021, Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman voiced their strong disapproval of the FBI agents' handling of the sexual abuse allegations made against former USA Gymnastics team doctor, Larry Nassar, who is currently serving a lengthy prison term.

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President Joe Biden presented Biles with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July 2022, making her the youngest recipient of this prestigious honor. Biden acknowledged her remarkable display of courage to transform personal pain into a powerful mission, advocating for those who are voiceless when she takes her place on the podium.

Biles appears on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in September 2022. On the right is US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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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.

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Biles rejoices in her triumph as she secures the prestigious title of the most all-around victories in the history of the US Gymnastics Championships, reaching an unprecedented record of eight victories in August 2023. Notably, at the age of 26, she surpasses all previous accomplishments, becoming the oldest female athlete to claim victory in this coveted championship.

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In pictures: Superstar gymnast Simone Biles

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This marks Biles' return to the international arena following her withdrawal from multiple events at the Tokyo 2020 Games due to experiencing the mental phenomenon known as the "twisties." This condition hinders a gymnast's ability to maintain spatial orientation while in midair. However, Biles has now proven her remarkable abilities once more by securing an unprecedented eighth national all-around championship.

Competing in Antwerp, Biles achieved a historic milestone as she became the first woman to represent the US at six artistic world championships. Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist, will be joined by her US teammates Skye Blakey, Shilese Jones, Joscelyn Roberson, and Leanne Wong for the team final on Wednesday.

How to watch

The world championships began on September 30 and will run until October 8.

On Wednesday, Biles will be participating in the final of the team event as a member of the five-woman US team. Additionally, she will compete in the women's individual all-around final on Friday, followed by the finals for the women's vault and uneven bars on October 7th, and concluding with the balance beam and floor exercise finals the next day.

NBC will provide coverage of the event in the United States, whereas the finals will be aired by the BBC in the United Kingdom. All the qualifying sessions were streamed on the International Gymnastics Federation's streaming platform, All Gymnastics TV, for all three days. Additionally, the finals will be accessible on this platform in select countries.

Biles took a break from competition following Tokyo 2020 after suffering from a mental block.

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Full-circle moment

At the 2013 Antwerp World Championships, Biles marked her debut by clinching the all-round and floor exercise gold medals, while also securing the vault silver and beam bronze. Since then, in the span of a decade, she has amassed an impressive total of 25 world championship medals - comprising 19 gold, three silver, and three bronze.

Having participated in the 2019 world championships, she emerged victorious, securing an impressive collection of five gold medals - a remarkable accomplishment that she has the potential to replicate in Belgium.

Biles is already hailed as the most accomplished gymnast in the history of the United States, having amassed a total of 32 medals from her outstanding performances at both the Olympics and the world championships.