Those involved with USA Gymnastics speak of Simone Biles in mythical terminology.
Shawn Johnson, on hand at Sunday’s US Gymnastics Championships as members of the 2008 Olympic team were honored, said watching Biles, the four-time Olympic gold medalist, perform makes her laugh in amazement.
“It shouldn’t be possible,” said Johnson of Biles’s feats.
Tom Forster, the women’s high-performance team coordinator for USA Gymnastics, paused for a moment when asked about the transcendent 21-year old, wanting to do right by his star.
“She is 21, and if any athlete could rest on her laurels, she could, and she doesn’t,” he said. “She literally is outworking some of the younger kids in training and it’s really inspiring. Everybody can tell she’s brilliantly talented, but her work ethic is also amazing.”
Biles doesn’t just inspire her teammates, but the hundreds of young girls who flock to watch her every move. Such was the case Sunday evening, Biles dazzling a jazzed TD Garden crowd with her unique meld of strength and grace, one that has helped her become the most decorated American women’s gymnast of all time.
Sunday’s end result came as expected with Biles claiming her fifth gold medal in the national all-around competition.
“I didn’t think coming into the events this year that I would do as well as I did,” she said. “I knew I was capable of it, but I kind of thought I was going to be a nervous wreck and maybe fall apart going into these events.”
Nerves were not a problem. Biles wasn’t quite as sharp as on Friday when she shattered the 60-point barrier, but she didn’t have to be. The rest of her competitors simply started too far behind.
Biles won every event, finishing with a two-day score of 119.850. She is the first American woman to achieve such a sweep since Dominique Dawes did it in 1994. It was the largest margin of victory in any of her title performances. She claimed four straight national titles from 2013-2016, before taking a year off from the sport in 2017.
Biles is only the second woman to win five national titles, joining Clara Schroth Lomady, who claimed six during the 1940s and 50s.
“Being the first to sweep all the titles since Dominique Dawes is kind of . . . inspiring, I guess?” she said. “It’s kind of cool to follow that path. I’m just really tired and hungry.”
Defending world champion Morgan Hurd, 18, of Middletown, Del., concluded competition in second place with a 113.300 mark. Riley McCusker, 17, of New Milford, Conn., claimed bronze at 112.750.
“I think Simone’s amazing,” said McCusker. “She’s just in another league, almost. She pushes us and I’m honestly just in awe of her.”
Biles began her evening on the uneven bars to rapturous applause. Though her execution wasn’t as clean as in Friday’s preliminary session, she nearly stuck a full in, full out dismount. The balance beam told a similar tale, Biles receiving an exceptional 6.5 score for difficulty but failing to match Friday’s celestial levels.
Winning the uneven bar title served as an example of Biles’s uncanny work ethic, since the apparatus used to represent her weakest event.
“I guess I’m really shocked about the bar title just because there are a lot of strong bar swingers here, so that’s pretty exciting,” she said.
Biles garnered squeals of adulation that would make Taylor Swift blush. Murmurs of excitement began to surface in the moments preceding Biles’s floor exercise, and this time the Ohio born bundle of athleticism bested her mark from prelims. Earning a 15.2 overall and 6.6 for difficulty, Biles completed her final pass in style, nailing a double twisting, double back, before blowing a kiss to her admirers.
“The energy was pretty good,” said Biles. “There were screams just about everywhere and for everything, so that’s always good to hear. It keeps us motivated and pumped up.”
Biles concluded her week with yet another jaw-dropping vault, matching her 15.6 tally from Friday.
Meanwhile Hurd was a beacon of consistency for the duration, sticking her dismount from the uneven bars and needing but a slight hop on her double pike off the balance beam.
“I honestly feel so great,” she said. “I hit 8-for-8 for the first time in all my times coming to [nationals]. I’m just really proud of myself.”
Defending champion Ragan Smith, 18, of Lewisville, Texas, fell attempting a difficult skill on the uneven bars and concluded her tough week in 10th place. Grace McCallum and Shilese Jones rounded out the top five.
Yet the evening was ruled by Biles, who donned a mint-green leotard that held extra significance in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. Nassar was the former Team USA doctor.
“Originally I picked it out in January — the mint color — but it is for the survivors and I stand with all of them,” she said. “I think it’s kind of special to unite.”
One prominent victim of Nassar’s abuse, Aly Raisman, was in attendance Sunday to witness Biles’s excellence. The two caught up earlier this week, and along the way Biles swiped a fitting anecdote that serves as a testament to her dominance.
Said the champion of her former teammate, “She thinks I’m not human.”
Senior women’s final results
at TD Garden
All-around — 1. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 119.850; 2. Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del., 113.300; 3. Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J., 112.750; 4. Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn., 111.650; 5. Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio, 109.850; 6. Jade Carey, Phoenix, Ariz., 109.700; 7. Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Mo., 109.650; 8. Trinity Thomas, York, Pa., 109.600; 9. Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo., 108.100; 10. Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas, 107.200; 11. Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Wash., 106.850; 12. Shania Adams, Plain City, Ohio, 105.900; 13. Margzetta Frazier, Sicklerville, N.J., 105.650; 14. Audrey Davis, Frisco, Texas, 104.550; 15. Maddie Johnston, Boyds, Md., 102.250; 16. Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas, 101.700; 17. Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas, 101.000; 18. Olivia Dunne, Hillsdale, N.J., 98.750.
Vault — 1. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 31.125; 2. Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio, 29.050; 3. Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn., 29.000; 4. Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del., 28.800; 5. Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Wash., 28.750, 6. Jade Carey, Phoenix, Ariz., 28.400; 7. Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas, 28.250; 8. Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J., 28.200; 9. Audrey Davis, Frisco, Texas, 28.100; 10. Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo., 28.050; 10. Margzetta Frazier, Sicklerville, N.J., 28.050; 12. Trinity Thomas, York, Pa., 27.900; 13. Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Mo., 27.000; 13. Maddie Johnston, Boyds, Md., 27.000; 15. Jaylene Gilstrap, McKinney, Texas, 26.950; 16. Shania Adams, Plain City, Ohio, 26.900; 16. Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas, 26.900; 18. Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas, 26.550; 19. Deanne Soza, Coppell, Texas, 26.250; 20. Olivia Dunne, Hillsdale, N.J., 26.200.
Uneven bars — 1. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 29.400; 2. Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J., 29.300; 3. Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del., 29.150; 4. Trinity Thomas, York, Pa., 27.900; 5. Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo., 27.750; 6. Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio, 27.550; 6. Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn., 27.550; 8. Shania Adams, Plain City, Ohio, 27.500; 9. Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Mo., 27.050; 10. Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Wash., 26.900; 11. Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas, 26.500; 11. Margzetta Frazier, Sicklerville, N.J., 26.500; 13. Deanne Soza, Coppell, Texas, 26.050; 14. Audrey Davis, Frisco, Texas, 25.550; 15. Jade Carey, Phoenix, Ariz., 25.500; 16. Maddie Johnston, Boyds, Md., 24.450; 17. Olivia Dunne, Hillsdale, N.J., 23.600; 18. Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas, 23.550; 19. Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas, 23.500.
Balance beam — 1. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 30.100; 2. Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Mo., 28.650; 3. Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J., 28.500; 4. Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del., 27.650; 5. Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn., 27.500; 6. Trinity Thomas, York, Pa., 27.000; 7. Shania Adams, Plain City, Ohio, 26.850; 8. Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas, 26.750; 9. Jade Carey, Phoenix, Ariz., 26.700; 10. Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio, 26.500; 11. Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas, 26.400; 12. Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo., 26.350; 13. Audrey Davis, Frisco, Texas, 26.050; 14. Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Wash., 25.650; 14. Adeline Kenlin, Iowa City, Iowa, 25.650; 14. Jaylene Gilstrap, McKinney, Texas, 25.650; 17. Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas, 25.550; 18. Maddie Johnston, Boyds, Md., 25.250; 18. Margzetta Frazier, Sicklerville, N.J., 25.250; 20. Olivia Dunne, Hillsdale, N.J., 24.300.
Floor exercise — 1. Simone Biles, Spring, Texas, 29.150; 2. Jade Carey, Phoenix, Ariz., 28.300; 3. Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del., 27.700; 4. Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn., 27.600; 5. Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Mo., 26.950; 6. Trinity Thomas, York, Pa., 26.800; 7. Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio, 26.750; 7. Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J., 26.750; 9. Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo., 25.950; 10. Margzetta Frazier, Sicklerville, N.J., 25.850; 11. Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas, 25.700; 12. Maddie Johnston, Boyds, Md., 25.550; 13. Jaylene Gilstrap, McKinney, Texas, 25.500; 14. Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas, 25.400; 15. Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas, 24.850; 15. Audrey Davis, Frisco, Texas, 24.850; 17. Adeline Kenlin, Iowa City, Iowa, 24.800; 18. Deanne Soza, Coppell, Texas, 24.750; 19. Olivia Dunne, Hillsdale, N.J., 24.650; 19. Shania Adams, Plain City, Ohio, 24.650; 21. Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Wash., 24.500.
Owen Pence can be reached at owen.pence@globe.com.Bagikan Berita Ini
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