Simone Biles won her ninth U.S. all-around title and every individual event at nationals for the second time in her career. She is preparing for her third Olympics in Paris.
Biles won the all-around at the Xfinity U.S. Championships by 5.9 points over Skye Blakely, with scores from both Friday and Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas. This margin was larger than the gap between second and tenth place.
“I’m really proud of my progress and building confidence, performing in front of a crowd, and doing what I practice,” Biles said.
This win is the third-largest margin since the perfect 10 scoring system was changed in 2006. In 2018, Biles won by a record 6.55 points and became the first woman to win all five golds at nationals since 1994.
Biles had one mistake on Sunday, over-rotating a vault and falling backward, but quickly recovered and nailed her next vault. She said, “I’m experienced, so I know how to reset and move on to the next event.”
The U.S. Championships were the last major competition before the Olympic Trials from June 27-30 in Minneapolis. The all-around winner at the trials secures a spot on the Olympic team, with a committee selecting the other four members based on past performances.
Skye Blakely’s chances for the Olympics improved significantly at nationals. She moved from fourth place last year to second this year, partly by improving her vault. Blakely, who was seventh in 2021 as the youngest in the top 16, had to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Trials due to an elbow injury but made a strong comeback.
Suni Lee, the Tokyo Olympic all-around champion, also improved her chances for Paris by boosting her scores on the balance beam and uneven bars. She finished second and fourth in these events. Lee, who was diagnosed with kidney diseases early last year, has been in remission since late 2023.
Another contender, Shilese Jones, missed nationals due to a shoulder injury but plans to compete at full strength in the trials. Jones won all-around silver and bronze at the last two world championships and was runner-up to Biles at last year’s nationals.