Congratulations to legendary Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time and leader of the first all-Black winners’ podium at the World Gymnastics Championship!
Source: Tim Clayton – Corbis / Getty
Simone Biles sprinkled her Black Girl Magic across the gymnastic world since she first stepped on the mat. CBS Sports reports the 26-year-old won gold in the all-around category at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp!
“Because 10 years ago, I won my first worlds. Now we’re back here. So it was emotional,” she said. “It means everything to me, the fight, everything that I’ve put in to get back to this place, feel comfortable and confident enough to compete.”
Her husband, Jonathan Owens, took to her Instagram post to congratulate his lady, saying, “SO PROUD 🔥❤️ Love being able to watch you do your thing 🤞🏽.”
Source: LIONEL BONAVENTURE / Getty
They don’t call her the goat for no reason! She is now the most decorated gymnast of all time in both the men’s and women’s divisions, two years after she put her career on hold to focus on her mental health following the Tokyo Olympics.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles was forced to pull out of several events due to getting a case of the “twisties,” which is a condition that causes gymnasts to lose their spatial awareness while in the air. Now, she is getting closer to an Olympic comeback.
Biles scored 58.399 points across the balance beam, floor, vault and uneven bars to beat Rebeca Andrade, the Brazilian defending champion, by 1.633 points. Biles’ U.S. teammate Shilese Jones took the bronze medal with 56.332 points.
Not to mention, she performed despite having vision problems during the competition.
“You guys are actually never going to believe me, but I’ve had something in my eye for like four hours today that I could not get out,” Biles said. “So whenever I was staring at the podium, if I look up, it really hits my eye.”
Put some respect on her name, please!
“Every day I try to think about it, especially in therapy when we talk about it,” Biles said about her record-breaking achievements. “And I think that’s when all the emotions come up. And I really think about what I’ve done and what we’ve done to the sport and push that forward. So I think it’s really exciting. But all in all, I don’t think it will hit me until I retire and then look back and see everything I’ve done.”
Black Girl Magic Sweeps The Artistic Gymnastics World Championship With First All-Black Winners’ Podium
Source: Naomi Baker / Getty
Also joining her on the podium was Rebeca Andrade, representing Brazil and USA’s Shilese Jones, making it the first all-Black world all-around podium!
The Olympic Games are less than a year away in Paris. Biles, now Mrs. Owens, is back and better than ever.
“She is like wine, she is better with age,” her coach, Cecile Landi, said.
Biles will continue competing in the finals in the women’s vault and uneven bars over the weekend.
Will you be tuned into the Olympics to see the GOAT do her thing and compete for more gold medals? Let us know your thoughts below!
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