Simone Biles finishes with four golds at 2023 Gymnastics World Championships

ANTWERP, Belgium — Five medals, four of them gold, after not competing for two years. Only Simone Biles can pull that off.

Biles capped her first major international competition since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with two more golds Sunday, winning the titles on both balance beam and floor exercise. She also won golds in the team competition and all-around, and a silver on vault.

She’s the most-decorated gymnast in history, male or female, with 37 medals at the world championships and Olympics. Of those, a whopping 27 are gold.

Even more astonishing? In her six appearances at the world championships over the last decade, she’s made 33 finals … and won medals in 30 of them. For those not so great with the math, that’s a 91% success rate. In a sport where Biles is flipping and twisting 10 feet in the air and on a beam that’s 4-inches wide, that’s staggering.

These are the first world championships since 2019 for Biles, and she wasn’t sure how she’d fare. After all, she only returned to competition in early August after taking time off from the Tokyo Olympics. She also knew she’d have to deal with triggers in the team competition, which is where “the twisties” surfaced in Tokyo.

Rising anxiety from the high expectations on her and the isolation of COVID protocols caused her to lose her sense of where she is in the air. Unwilling to risk her health and safety, she withdrew from all but one final.

But Biles appeared relaxed and confident. And really, really, really good.

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade has emerged as a formidable rival for Biles, and the competition seemed to motivate her.

Her balance beam routine was near-perfect Sunday, the best she’s done since she’s come back. Though she had too much power on her third tumbling pass, her signature Biles I, and bounced forward, landing with one foot out of bounds, the landings of her tumbling runs got much cleaner throughout the week. She also seems to be performing more, making eye contact and playing to the crowd.

She and Andrade went 1-2 on the floor, as well as in the all-around. The order was reversed in Saturday’s vault final. And in the beam, Biles took first while Andrade finished third.

Biles has been trying not to look too far ahead. But with this performance, she’s established she’s the one to beat. Just as she’s been for a decade.

What did Simone Biles, coach Laurent Landi say after worlds?

ANTWERP, Belgium — Here’s what Simone Biles and coach Laurent Landi had to say at the conclusion of the world championships:

On the definition of success for this competition:

"I wasn’t too worried about medal count or medal color this meet. … As long as I get out there and do those routines again, it’s a win in my book." — Biles

"Medals are great, but that was not the point of coming back here and doing what she did. It was mentally for her and to realize she still can do it. The medals are just the cherry on the cake at the end." — Landi

On what’s helped Biles manage her mental health:

"I had to learn how to say no. If it doesn’t fit into my time or my schedule, then I’m not going to do it and I’m not going to force it. I think that helped a lot." — Biles

On why the medals don’t matter:

"I had to prove to myself that I could still get out here, twist, I could prove all the haters wrong, that I’m not a quitter, this, that, the other. As long as I’m out there twisting again, having and finding the joy for gymnastics again, who cares?" — Biles

"We always have doubts. Personally, I didn’t know if she was going to come back. What for? But she needed it for herself and she missed it. Now I think she feels much better about what she has accomplished. And not just on the field of play but outside the gym as well, and to be able to perform the way she did. It’s the process that’s more important than the result." — Landi.

US gymnastics medal count at worlds

ANTWERP, Belgium — Paul Juda won’t make the podium on high bar, so the U.S. medal count will be 11 for these world championships.

The women won seven medals, including a gold in the team competition. Simone Biles had four in the individual event finals, golds in the all-around, balance beam and floor exercise, and a silver on vault. Shilese Jones had bronzes in the all-around and uneven bars.

The men won four medals their best showing at a world championships or Olympics in a decade. In addition to the team bronze, Khoi Young won silvers on vault and pommel horse, and Fred Richard won a bronze in the all-around. 

Simone Biles wins floor exercise at worlds

ANTWERP, Belgium — It’s another gold rush for Simone Biles at the world championships.

Biles won her sixth floor title in as many world championships Sunday, edging Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade by 0.667. It’s the second gold of the day for Biles after she won the balance beam title earlier, and gives her four at these worlds following wins in the team and all-around competitions. She also won a silver on vault.

Biles, who became the most-decorated gymnast in history with her all-around gold, now has 37 medals at the world championships and Olympics. Of those, 27 are gold.

An even more astonishing stat? Biles has been in 33 finals in six trips to the world championships and won a medal in all but three of them. 

Simone Biles at worlds: Slight opening for Rebeca Andrade on floor

ANTWERP, Belgium — Simone Biles had so much power on her Biles I – a double layout with a half-twist – that she couldn’t control the landing and bounced forward, one foot landing out of bounds. But her routine is packed with so much difficulty that Andrade and everyone else will likely need to be perfect to catch her.

Biles scored a 14.633, the same score she had in qualifying.

Biles has won five world titles on floor previously. 

Shilese Jones done at world championships

ANTWERP, Belgium — Shilese Jones, who already has a gold from the team competition and bronzes from the all-around and uneven bars, was first up on in the floor final. Her routine was elegant and lyrical, as usual, but she stumbled out of one of her turns, likely costing herself a medal.

Jones scored a 13.666, more than a tenth below what she did in qualifying. 

US men's gymnastics at worlds: No medals on parallel bars

ANTWERP, Belgium — There’ll be no medals for the U.S. men on parallel bars.

Asher Hong was fourth and Yul Moldauer was fifth with three gymnasts still to go in the final. The American men have one more medal opportunity, with Paul Juda in the high bar final.

Already, though, this is the most successful showing for the U.S. men at a world championships or Olympics in a decade. They’ve won four medals, matching what they won here in 2013, which also was the last time worlds were in Antwerp. 

Simone Biles wins gold in balance beam at worlds

ANTWERP, Belgium — It’s gold, again, for Simone Biles.

Biles won the balance beam title Sunday. That’s four, for those keeping track, adding to the titles she won in 2014, 2015 and 2019. It’s also her 29th medal and 22nd at the world championships, extending her own records.

Biles scored a 14.8, a tenth better than China’s Zhou Yaquin. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade was third. 

Biles took nearly two years off after the Tokyo Olympics, only returning to competition at the beginning of August. The beam routine she did in today’s final is the best yet in her comeback. While other gymnasts often have to do checks to maintain their balance, there was no hesitation from Biles. On any skill.

Biles’ triple wolf turn was crisp and precise, and her aerial tricks were done with more ease than most people walk on flat ground. She also stuck her dismount without so much as a wiggle. She knew the routine was good when she finished, flashing a big grin as coach Cecile Landi threw her arms into the air.

Zhou’s routine had the same difficulty as Biles — a 6.5 — but her routine wasn’t as clean. She submitted an inquiry — basically asking judges to check her score — but it was rejected and Biles was the champion once again. 

Shilese Jones at worlds: Out of contention on balance beam

ANTWERP, Belgium — Shilese Jones was doing well on balance beam until the very end.

Jones underrotated her dismount and pitched forward. She had to put her hands down and her knees might have touched, too. She scored a 12.933, leaving her well out of the medals.

It’s the first significant error Jones has had this week. She helped the U.S. women to a team gold, won bronze in the all-around and also won a bronze on uneven bars Saturday. 

Simone Biles at worlds: Nails balance beam

ANTWERP, Belgium — Simone Biles picked a good time to do her best balance beam routine since she came back in August.

Biles was near-perfect in the beam final Sunday, confidently checking off one skill after another. There were no hesitations, no balance checks, no wiggles or wobbles. She and coach Cecile Landi knew it was good when she finished, with Landi throwing her hands into the air and Biles breaking into a big grin.

There are still four gymnasts to go, but Biles’ score of 14.8 is going to be tough to beat.

Biles already has three world titles on balance beam, and two other medals. 

US men's gymnastics at worlds: Best showing in a decade

ANTWERP, Belgium — With Khoi Young’s silver on vault, the U.S. men are assured their most successful showing at the world championships in a decade.

Young’s medal was the fourth for the U.S. men, matching their total from 2013, also the last time worlds was here. Young won a silver on Saturday, and the Americans also have bronzes from the team competition and Fred Richard in the all-around.

Young was up first in the vault final and did two massive, nearly perfect ones. But he had to wait for the remaining seven gymnasts to see if the score would hold up. Jake Jarman from Britain passed him, but no one else could.

When the final results posted, Young hugged his coach and fellow American Paul Juda, who was fifth. 

American Khoi Young nearly perfect on vault

ANTWERP, Belgium — Remember the name Khoi Young.

The American is in position to win another medal Sunday after doing two massive and near-perfect vaults. Young’s combined score of a 14.849 would have put him second in qualifying, but he was first up in the final and has to see if his score will hold up over the remaining seven gymnasts.

Young already has a silver medal from the pommel horse Saturday and a bronze medal from the team competition Tuesday night.

Where to watch World Gymnastics Championships event finals: TV channel, stream online

The event finals will be streamed on Peacock starting at 8 a.m. ET Sunday, and there will be a highlights show at 2 p.m. on CNBC.

World Gymnastics Championships schedule

The event finals schedule for Sunday is:

• Men’s vault, 8-8:45 a.m. ET
• Balance beam, 8:50-9:35 a.m.
• Parallel bars, 9:40-10:25 a.m.
• Women’s floor exercise, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
• High bar, 11:20-noon

What are event finals?

This portion of the competition determines who are the best gymnasts on each of the individual events.

The top eight gymnasts on each apparatus – vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise for women and floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar for men – qualify for the finals, with a limit of two per country.

Who’s in what finals

Biles and Jones made both the balance beam and floor exercise finals. Biles had the highest qualifying score on both events, while Jones was fifth on floor and sixth on beam.

Paul Juda will be the busiest of the U.S. men, qualifying on both vault and high bar. Khoi Young, who won a silver medal on pommel horse Saturday, also is in the vault final. Asher Hong and Yul Moldauer will compete on parallel bars.