ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — Simone Biles’s appetite for victory is insatiable.
The American superstar claimed a third gold medal at the 2023 gymnastics world championships on Sunday by winning the women’s beam with a superb routine on the final day of the competition.
Biles oozed confidence throughout. She had no hesitation on her jumps and delivered controlled spins before dismounting in style, with just a small hop when landing. She earned a score of 14.800 points to win ahead of China’s Zhou Yaqin by a margin of just 0.1 of a point. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil took the bronze medal.
In Antwerp, where she started her collection of 22 world titles 10 years ago, Biles has made a stunning return to the international stage.
She also claimed a silver medal on vault after the sixth all-around title that made her the most decorated gymnast in history, male or female. And she led the U.S. women to a record seventh straight victory in the team event.
Biles has won a record 36 medals at the world championships and Olympics. She will later have an opportunity to add another gold to her unmatched record in the floor exercise final.
Biles was competing at her first world championships since 2019 this week after a two-year break she used to focus on her mental health following the Tokyo Olympics. She only returned to competition this summer.
In the men’s competition, Jake Jarman gave Britain its first medal by taking gold in the vault with a combined score of 15.050 points. Jarman started with a nearly flawless vault and was pumped after he landed a Dragulescu on his second effort, giving a big hug to his coach and raising his arms in triumph.
His total allowed him to leapfrog American Khoi Young by a margin of 0.201.
Young’s pair of vaults earned him a runner-up finish and a third medal this week to go with the bronze in the team event and silver on the pommel horse. Nazar Chepurnyi of Ukraine finished third.
Young grinned broadly after sticking his second vault and turned toward fans waving American flags, urging them to make more noise as cheers and applause erupted from the stands at the Sportpaleis venue.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports
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