Considered the most decorated U.S. gymnast of all time, Simone Biles returned to the gymnastics floor and made history by earning her 8th all-around U.S. Gymnastics Championships title on Aug. 27. Biles showed off her best twists, turns, and hurdles to hit this huge milestone and become the worldwide champion she is today. And she did it with grace, too — after taking home the title, she posted a relatable photo to her Instagram Story.
After breaking the 90-year-old record of seven all-around wins at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships (achieved by Alfred Jochim), Biles’s first public reaction to celebrate her victory encompassed her posting a picture of her dinner on IG with the caption “Gworl Dinna” —- showcasing a true champion’s meal of a burger, fries, and pasta. A Perfect 10 of a meal, if you will.
Biles began her historical milestone journey in 2013, winning and becoming the first African-American woman to win the World Gymnastics Championships. After her first title, Biles continued to make history — in 2019, she became the first gymnast in six decades to win five gold medals at the World Gymnastics Championships.
Things took a turn for Biles in Summer 2021, though, when she decided to withdraw from the rest of her participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after experiencing “the twisties”. She told The Washington Post at the time that while she attempted a 2 ½ twisting vault, she “had no idea where she was in the air,” and that she could have hurt herself.
Biles has been very open about her mental health since the incident. On Aug. 5 of this year, she told CNBC, “I worked on myself a lot. I still do therapy weekly, and it’s just been so exciting to come out here and have the confidence I had before.” There’s no doubt Biles has made a comeback — throughout her career, she has now won 25 medals at world championships, 18 of which are gold.
A decade later, Biles remains to shock not only the world but herself as she reminisces on her performance through the years. She told NBC after her latest win, “It feels really special,” she said. “I’ve been doing it for so long, I feel like I don’t think about numbers, I think about my performance. And I think, overall, I hit eight for eight. I guess it’s a lucky number this year.”
While there’s no news yet on whether Biles will return to the Olympic floor in 2023, fans of the powerhouse gymnast can watch her compete at the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, starting Sept. 30.