Can Simone Biles maintain her lead and make history at the USA Gymnastics Championships?

CNN
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It was a common sight: Simon Biles She spins through the air, completing routines with the ease and power no other gymnast in the competition has landed.

Even after a long absence from the competition, there is reassurance about its performance and success Four-time Olympic gold medalist She is now just four steps away from claiming her eighth US national all-around title after finishing the opening day of the USA Gymnastics Championships in first place with a score of 59.3, which puts her ahead by 2.75 points.

Biles will compete in the final round of the tournament, which is being held in San Jose, California, on Sunday night.

Title VIII bile She will break the record she currently shares with Alfred Jochim, who won his seventh title 90 years ago in 1933. She will also become the oldest woman to win the championship.

It was an impressive performance on Friday, capped by a nearly perfect double javelin from Yurchenko on vault, which no other gymnast had entered before, according to Reuters.

“The beams started out a little rough, but that’s kind of to be expected. You took your nerve out of the way and after that it was really smooth,” Biles told Peacock Radio when asked about her performance. “Very happy to meet up overall.”

And when Biles was asked about the reason that prompted her to win the historic eighth title, she said: “I think I have personal goals that I want to achieve and keep pushing for them, and this is what I aim for.”

The 26-year-old returned to action earlier this month, winning in victorious fashion at the Core Hydration Classic.

She scored top scores in three of the four apparatus – vault, floor and balance beam – to assert her dominance in the event and will aim to do the same on Sunday.

World all-around silver medalist Shelley Jones finished second on the second day of competition with Sky Blakely in third.

Biles is the most decorated gymnast in US history, winning 32 medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships.

She is continuing her return to competitive gymnastics after a two-year hiatus after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when she withdrew from several events suffering from what are known as “sprains”, a mental block that causes a gymnast to lose her position in midair.

Day two of the USA Gymnastics Championships begins at 6.30pm ET on Sunday.

Biles will start on the jump, before encountering the uneven bars and balance beam and finishing on the floor.

Coverage of the competition will be broadcast nationally on NBC and Peacock, while international viewers can watch the action on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel.