Simone Biles added two more gold medals to her tally to close out the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp. After a subdued Saturday, Biles came roaring out of the gates. A fierce contest on the beam saw Biles take the gold by just 0.1 points over China's Zhao Yaqin. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, who took the vault gold over Biles on Saturday, finished third. Elsewhere at the competition, Biles' teammate Shilese Jones earned bronze medals in the all-around and the uneven bars.
Later in the day, Biles earned her second gold (and fourth of the championship) as she took gold in the floor event. Brazil took silver and bronze through Rebeca Andrade and Flávia Saraiva. The two wins take Biles World Championships/Olympics medal tally to 37. Earlier in the week, Biles had become the sole leader in that regard after entering the championships tied with retired Belarusian gymnast Vitaly Scherbo. Furthermore, the various wins and high finishes set Biles up nicely to compete in the Olympics in Paris next summer.
Biles Has To Settle For Silver On Vault
However, Biles fell 0.201 points short of winning gold on her signature equipment of vault. An over-rotation on her signature Yurchenko double pike caused her to fall backward on the landing. Biles bounced back with an excellent Cheng in her final vault. However, 2022 all-around champion Rebeca Andrade was able to keep Biles off the top of her podium with a near-perfect outing.
However, Andrade was disappointed to see Biles lose the gold in the manner that she did. "I'm happy for my result, but sad about the fall because we know how much athletes train to do this vault," Andrade said. However, Andrade also shook away suggestion that she may try to attempt the Yurchenko double pike, now known as the Biles II. "[That would be] crazy. I don't have the body for that." Elsewhere, Biles finished fifth in the bars. It was a subdued day overall, but as mentioned, she bounced back with a shining performance on Sunday.
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