Simone Biles continues to show everyone why she is a legend. On Sunday, the 26-year-old won her eighth title at the U.S. Championships in San Jose, California. She has now won eight national gymnastics titles, surpassing the record of seven wins set by Alfred Joachim in 1933, as mentioned by PEOPLE. Biles set another record, becoming the oldest woman to win a U.S. Gymnastics title.
“I think sometimes you black out whenever all those things happen,” Biles said Sunday night, per USA Today. “I also think whenever I won those titles back in the day, we were focusing on the next thing. What’s next? … We never got to settle in and celebrate that. Now, moving forward, we really try to celebrate our success, individually and as a team. Just so that, in a couple of years, we can remember those. Because I really don’t remember a lot from the past.”
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With Biles winning another national title, she looks poised to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Biles is expected to compete at the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium next month but has not made an official decision on the Olympics.
“I like to keep (my goals) personal just so that I know what I am aiming for,” she told NBC, per CNN. “I’m trying to move a little bit differently this year than I have in the past. So I think it’s working so far, so I’m gonna keep it a little bit secretive.”
Biles recently returned to gymnastics after taking two years off following the 2021 (2020) Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It was that event where Biles pulled out of several events due to her suffering from the “twisties,” which is a mental block that causes a gymnast to lose track of their position in midair. Biles did win two medals in Tokyo, earning silver in team and bronze in balance beam. In August of this year, Biles competed in the Core Hydration Classic in Illinois and earned an overall score of 59.100.
Before Biles made her return, she was focusing on family as she married NFL player Jonathan Owens, who currently plays for the Green Bay Packers. Owens signed with the team in May, and Biles attended a preseason game to support her husband. In an Instagram post, Biles wrote: “Long distance isn’t easy, but seeing you play your heart out is so worth it. I’m so proud of you baby.”
