Simone Biles makes triumphant return
Olympic champion Simone Biles is back and she is breaking records again.
Less than a month after returning to competition following a two-year break, the American gymnast Sunday became the first woman to win five U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Championships all-around titles.
The 21-year-old achieved the feat wearing a teal leotard, the designated color for survivors of sexual abuse, to highlight the scandal that has rocked the sport.
“It is for the survivors,” Biles told ESPN. “I stand with all of them, and I think it’s kind of special to unite.”
In January, Biles was among more than 100 gymnasts to say they were abused by ex-U.S. team doctor Larry Nassar who received a prison sentence of up to 175 years after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct.
The American, who won four golds at Rio 2016, also became the first woman since Dominique Dawes in 1994 to post the top score on every event, winning in Boston with a total of 119.850 points.
Reigning world champion Morgan Hurd (113.300) was a distant 6.55 points behind, giving Biles her biggest winning margin of all her five titles.
She is also the oldest women’s all-around champion since Linda Metheny tied for the titled aged 24 in 1971.