Simone Biles wins record-extending ninth all-around national title at US Gymnastics Championships | CNN

CNN
 — 

Simone Biles won a record-extending ninth all-around national title at the US Gymnastics Championships on Sunday, impressing ahead of next month’s Olympics in Paris.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist came into the second day of the senior women’s all-around competition in first place with an astonishing score of 60.450, more than three points ahead of second-placed Skye Blakely and third-placed Kayla DiCello.

And to underscore her dominance, Biles led the field on every apparatus after the first day. She started on the vault, executing a Yurchenko double pike and then a Cheng to finish with a 15.800.

Even though the uneven bars are considered Biles’ “weakest” event, she scored a 14.650 to extend her lead through two rotations. On her third rotation – the balance beam – Biles continued her stellar performance, finishing with a 14.800.

She finished the night on the floor, scored a 15.200 to solidify her lead, and goes into the final day with a great chance to win yet another all-around national title, and further consolidate her status as the most decorated American gymnast ever.

Suni Lee, the 2020 Olympic all-around champion, sits in fourth place overall while Jade Carey, the 2020 Olympic floor champion, is in eighth place.

The national championships are the final event for US gymnasts before the Olympic Trials in late June. The women’s team to compete at Paris 2024 will be chosen after the Olympic Trials, with the winner of the all-around competition at the Trials automatically making the team.

Biles is aiming to edge closer to returning to the Olympics, the competition where she experienced the “twisties” – a mental block causing gymnasts to lose track of their body positions – at the Tokyo Games.

She took a two-year break from the sport afterwards to focus on her mental health but returned last year, sealing her comeback with a history-making performance at the world championships.

After winning a silver and four gold medals there, she became the most decorated male or female gymnast ever, surpassing Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 33 overall medals across both the Olympics and the world championships.

Meanwhile, in the men’s competition, Brody Malone took his third national all-around title n Saturday, completing his remarkable comeback from a serious injury last year that required several surgeries to repair torn ligaments and cartilage in his knee, as well as a fractured leg.

“It just feels amazing to be able to – with everything I’ve gone through – be able to come back and make a comeback like I have and be competitive enough to be on the top again,” Malone said afterwards, per the Olympics.

He also took the gold medal on the high bar, the apparatus on which he sustained his horrific knee injury and on which he became world champion in 2022.

Malone finished ahead of Frederick Richard, who also won on floor, and Khoi Young.

The second day of the women’s competition will take place on Sunday, from 6.45 p.m. ET to 9 p.m. ET.

All podium training sessions will be available to watch on FlipNow.tv – USA Gymnastics’ streaming service – while Peacock, NBC and CNBC will broadcast the main sessions.

Viewers outside the US can also follow the event on the USA Gymnastics YouTube channel. More viewing details are available on the USA Gymnastics website.