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Biles creates history by winning four all-around world titles

Simone Biles made history as she became the first woman to win four all-around world titles despite making a few mistakes during the World Championships.

Simone Biles was not flawless in Doha but still managed to make history

Doha, November 2: Simone Biles made history as she became the first woman to win four all-around world titles despite making a few mistakes during the World Championships in Doha.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist secured her victory with a combined 57.491 points.

Less than a week after visiting a hospital emergency room with a kidney stone that is yet to pass, Biles did not use the condition as a reason for her "disappointing" day.

"This one has probably been the hardest to get out of all my world championships and Olympic medals, and the scariest one," Biles said.

Japan's Mai Murakami was second with 55.798 and Biles' teammate Morgan Hurd was third with 55.732.

The 21-year-old Texan accomplished the record-breaking feat despite two falls - one on the vault and one on the balance beam - and putting a foot out of bounds on the first tumbling pass of her floor routine.

But Biles had a huge advantage in difficulty that carried her to glory.

After her performance, she tweeted: "[I] didn't mean to give everyone a heart attack. I apologize. I won't do that again."

Biles got off to a rocky start as she sat down on the vault after executing an extremely difficult Yurchenko half on, front double full off and still scored 14.533.

She made up for it with a strong performance on uneven bars, scoring 14.725 points to take the lead over Hurd at the midway point.

On the beam, Biles scored 13.233 points but struggled as she needed a balance check to stay on following a front pike and then missed a connection. She had a slight lead heading into the final rotation and secured the title with 15.000 points on floor.

Biles now has a world all-around crown for every time she has competed at the meet, dating back to 2013 and taking in a hiatus last year.

Her fourth title means she surpasses Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina's previous record of three.

"It's exciting to bring back a gold medal for the U.S., but for me it's a bit disappointing because that's not the performance I would hope to give.

"Even the best fall sometimes, but I'm excited that I pulled it out at the end. I was definitely shocked," added Biles.

(With inputs from OPTA and local media)

Story first published: Friday, November 2, 2018, 10:52 [IST]
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