Simone Biles on brink of history at world championships in Germany
Simone Biles has more than just a few medals on the line this month at the world championships in Germany.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist has an opportunity to have herself written into the gymnastics Code of Points forever.
If Biles lands a triple-double and double-double beam dismount at the world championships in Stuttgart, Germany, both moves will then be known as “the Biles” — which would mark the third and fourth elements named after her.
“Getting the skills named after me is really exciting, just to go out there and prove to myself that I can do them, especially under all of the pressure that will be there that night,” Biles said, via the Associated Press. “I feel like putting my name on a skill is really rewarding just because it’ll be in the Code forever as well as the medals. It’s something that I can hold onto just because I’m the one that did it first, so it’s really exciting.”
Biles practiced both elements on Tuesday, and said she’ll break out the triple-double on the floor in each competition. She’s not quite sure when she’ll go for the double-double dismount off the beam, however.
Regardless, Biles feels great about each move in her arsenal.
“I feel really confident, and I’m excited to do them at the event,” Biles said, via the Houston Chronicle. “I never thought I would actually be able to do them one day, but [coaches Laurent Landi and Cecile Conqeteau-Landi] helped me believe in myself, and here we are. I feel like it’s not real, but it is.”
Biles is one of six Americans to compete for Team USA at the world championships, which marks the last major event until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo next summer. She’ll be joined by MyKayla Skinner, Kara Eaker, Sunisa Lee, Grace McCallum and Jade Carey.
Should things go well for Biles this month, she could walk away from Germany as the most decorated female gymnast of all time.
The 22-year-old currently holds 20 medals at both the world championships and the Olympics combined, tied with Russian Svetlana Khorkina for the most ever won by a woman. Former Belarusian gymnast Vitaly Scherbo’s all-time record is within striking distance, too. Scherbo has 23 total medals to his name, the most ever won by a gymnast.
While Biles is already a household name when it comes to Team USA, she isn’t letting herself focus on that yet.
Before anything else, she said, she’s just a person.
“I feel like if I were to label myself as a superstar, it would bring more expectations on me,” Biles said, via the Associated Press. “I would feel pressured, more in the limelight, rather than now. I just go out there and compete, try to represent Simone, not Simone Biles, whenever I go out there because at the end of the day I’m still a human being before I’m ‘Simone Biles the Superstar.’”
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