Simone Biles secured her spot on a record sixth world championship team, making her the oldest American to compete at worlds in 50 years. The selection was held at the USA Gymnastics World Team Selection Camp in Katy, Texas, where Biles emerged victorious in the all-around competition, earning one of six spots on the roster. Despite falling during her bars routines and Yurchenko’s pole vault, Biles was able to win with a total score of 55.7 points, winning by four-tenths over Shiles Jones. Notably, Biles scored lower on the beam and floor exercise compared to her performance at the USA All-Around Championships last month.
During August’s nationals, Biles posted impressive all-around scores of 59.3 and 59.15, along with a 59.1 at the earlier meet. These results rank as the top three all-around results in the world since the Tokyo Olympics, according to Gymternet. Jones, the 2022 world all-around silver medalist, had a chance to top Biles in the one-day all-around, just as Suni Lee did on the second day of the Tokyo Olympics. However, despite her strong performance, Jones was unable to repeat her leading results on the uneven bars and ultimately fell.
The remaining places on the world team will be decided by the committee after the second day of the camp on Wednesday evening. As the oldest American all-around champion in modern history, Biles has now become the oldest gymnast to make a world team since at least 1970, according to USA Gymnastics records. Previously, Doris Fuchs Brause competed at the World Championships in 1966 at the age of 28. In addition to breaking this record, Biles will also surpass a tie with several other American gymnasts for the most appearances at the world championships.
Other contenders for the world team include five members of the 2022 world list, Shilesi Jones, Tokyo Olympic medalists Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, as well as Leanne Wong and Skye Blakely. The final team will be announced, with alternates named, closer to the start of the World Cup on October 1 in Antwerp, Belgium.