Simone Biles Wins Another World All-Around Gold, Continues To Show That She’s The GOAT

Getty Image / Naomi Baker

When we’re talking about all-time great American athletes, names like Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Tom Brady seem to be some of those always mentioned. On Friday, Simone Biles proved why she needs to be in that echelon as well, capturing yet another World Championship in the All-Around at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Belgium on Friday.

And, the final score was not even particularly close, winning by over 1.5 points. In a sport usually defined by tenths, that’s a blowout.

It’s Simone Biles’ sixth world all-around title, and her 34th world or Olympic medal, the most in the history of the sport, male or female.

This is her first time on top of the world stage since 2019, and serves as some redemption from her 2020 Olympics that saw her suffer from some mental health issues and only leave with two medals and no golds despite entering as the favorite for as many as five golds. Many thought that would be the end of her career, but the 26-year-old decided to return to a sport that for decades was dominated by teenagers. Somehow, she hasn’t lost anything, defying physiology and the century-long history of the sport.

Instead, she continues to push the boundaries of what people think is possible in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. After landing it in 2021 and not competing it at the Olympics, she finally got another one of her vaults named after her.

This year was the ten-year anniversary of her first world all-around title, when she burst onto the scene also in Antwerp, Belgium to win in what was considered by many as an upset win. Nobody could predict that she would go on to run off a winning-streak that lasted nearly seven calendar years and turn her into a household name and cultural icon.

A 2016 Rio Olympics performance that saw Team USA gymnastics dominate the field at a level that will likely never be met again saw her capture a remarkable four out of a possible six gold medals.

And, during the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal that involved the assaults of hundreds of gymnasts, including Biles, turned her into an advocate.

Team USA captured the team gold on Wednesday. Russia is notably absent due to a prohibition by the governing body, the FIG, related to the invasion of Ukraine. That was surely sweet for Biles, but this one felt sweeter. Tears streamed down her cheeks during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner as she stood atop the podium.

Simone Biles’ sights will turn to event finals this weekend, where she qualified on all four events and has very good chances to take home gold in vault, balance beam, and floor exercise. After that, it’s watching her husband Jonathan Owens play defensive back for the Green Bay Packers and preparing for next year’s push towards The Olympic Games in Paris, France.