Simone Biles Breaks Record for Most World Gymnastics Gold Medal Wins

Simone Biles was not even born when Shannon Miller was winning all of her world and Olympic medals.

But Biles, born in 1997, shortly after Miller collected her gold medals as part of the “Magnificent Seven” at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games and about two years after Miller won the last of her nine world medals, needed no history lesson to understand what it means to be passing her in the record books.

By winning two gold medals on the final day of the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China, Biles now has six career gold medals from worlds, giving her the most of any U.S. woman — one more than Miller.



“I just heard that,” Biles told reporters in China, “and it actually blows my mind.”

With her gold-medal performances on the final day of competition on the balance beam and floor, Biles closed these worlds with four gold medals. She led Team USA to the gold medal in the team event and became the first American woman since Miller to win back-to-back all-around world titles. Biles, 17, also earned a silver medal in the vault final.

Throughout the week, Biles has performed incredibly powerful tumbling routines but seemingly coasted past her talented international opponents, mainly Romania’s Larisa Iordache. The only time Biles looked remotely beatable was when a bee came after the flowers she was carrying while standing on top of the all-around medal podium.

In just two trips to worlds, including last year in Antwerp, Biles has collected nine medals. Only Alicia Sacramone, who won 10 world medals in her career, has won more among U.S. women. Miller and Nastia Liukin, the 2008 Olympic champion, finished their careers with nine.

Biles is also the first U.S. woman to win five medals at a single world championships.

Biles finished these worlds by sticking a full-in dismount on the balance beam and scoring a 15.100, and defending her world title on the floor (15.333), an event in which she has dazzled the crowd all week with her ability to combine explosiveness and expression.

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Watch all of Simone's routines from the Women's All-Around final.






Photo Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong