Antwerp (Belgium) (AFP) – US superstar Simone Biles won a record-extending 23rd world title on Sunday with gold in the floor final after also winning on the balance beam on the last day of the world gymnastics championships
Despite putting a foot out of the mat, Biles’ technically difficult floor performance achieved 14.633 points, with Brazilians Rebeca Andrade (14.500) and Flavia Saraiva (13.966) completing the podium.
Returning after a two-year break, the four-time Olympic champion finishes the competition in Antwerp, where she won her first world title a decade ago, with five medals including four golds, to bring her tally to 30 medals at world championships.
The 26-year-old won gold in the team and all-around events during the week, and sealed the beam title for a fourth time with a dazzling routine which earned her 14.800 points.
China’s Zhou Yaqin, 17, scored 14.700 to take silver with Andrade, who beat Biles to gold in the vault on Saturday when the American fell, claiming bronze with 14.300.
In a high-level beam final, Biles landed every skill with near perfection.
The title was decided by a tiny margin, as teenager Zhou also impressed.
Gold only escaped her because she took a step back after her dismount and was penalised a tenth of a point.
Biles has made an impressive return to competition two years after “twisties”, a temporary mental block whereby gymnasts lose their sense of where they are in the air, badly affected her Tokyo Olympics.
She withdrew from four of five individual finals in Japan, taking team gold despite withdrawing midway through the competition and beam bronze.
Biles then stopped training completely and only returned to competition last August in the United States, in a bid to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
