FORT WORTH, Texas — What do you get for the nine-time national all-around champion who has everything? An engraved silver belt buckle, apparently.
Simone Biles earned the Texas token as a trophy Sunday night after clinching the top spot at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships with a total score of 119.750 (60.450 on Day 1, 59.300 on Day 2). She also swept every individual event title.
Over two nights, the 27-year-old’s biggest mistake was over-rotating her Yurchenko double pike vault and landing on her back. Even with the fall, she still earned a 15.000 because the vault is so difficult and Biles executed it with little flaw aside from the landing.
She began on the balance beam with a solid routine for a 14.800 and added a 15.100 on floor exercise. Though she had a bit too much juice on her triple-twisting double back tuck and bounced out of bounds, she incurred only minor landing deductions for her other three über difficult tumbling passes.
Biles capped her winning all-around performance on the uneven bars, coasting through in her typical speedy fashion to score a 14.400.
Amidst her historic night, Biles found time to boost up a fellow Olympic all-around champion after Suni Lee opened the night with a fall on vault.