Simone Biles created history on Sunday.
Biles’ victory comes after a two-year hiatus from the sport following the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
At the SAP Center in San Jose, California, the American gymnast earned her record eighth national championship title. The victory comes ten years after Biles won her first national title at the age of 16.
Biles finished with a two-day overall score of 118.40, four points better than runner-up Shilese Jones. Leanne Wong finished third.
Biles, 26, is now the oldest woman to win a national title in the 60-year history of USA Gymnastics. With her victory on Sunday, she surpassed Alfred Jochim, who had won seven titles from 1925 to 1933.
“I don’t think about numbers,” Biles stated, as reported by the Associated Press. “I think about my performance. And I think overall, I hit 8 for 8. I guess it’s a lucky number this year.”
Biles took a two-year break from the sport after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she was the frontrunner in four events but withdrew due to “twisties,” a gymnastics term for feeling disoriented and losing awareness of balance and a sense of where the ground is while performing aerial maneuvers. Following her trauma, she sought therapy and became a mental health advocate.
Next, Biles will compete in the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
If she advances to the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, it will be her third Olympics.
With over 460.6K Views, and 10.4K+ Likes, @USAGym pays credit to the talents of Biles for the first gymnast to win 8 All-Around Titles at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships:
More history for the 🐐!
Simone Biles becomes the first gymnast – man or woman – to win 8 All-Around Titles at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships! pic.twitter.com/a5drI6qRrh
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 28, 2023
In a tweet from @NBCOlympics, a short clip attached shows Biles receiving her medal and flowers from Olympians Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson East:
What a moment!@Simone_Biles x #XfinityChamps pic.twitter.com/qgfQIJkjlV
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 28, 2023
@wonghurdyeo shared a 1.5-minute clip of Biles during the USA Gymnastics Championship. Her star performance garnered over 362K Views and 2.3K+ Likes:
EIGHTH NATIONAL ALL AROUND TITLE TO ADD TO SIMONE BILES’ COLLECTION pic.twitter.com/3oqoLeYiyR
— HURD FOR 2024 (@wonghurdyeo) August 28, 2023
The four-day US gymnastics championship was broadcast live on NBC, CNBC, and Peacock.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
