Simone Biles Just Became the Most Decorated Gymnast, Ever

With a win today at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast, ever. The Associated Press reports that after her two-year break from the sport — and less than three months into her return — Biles earned the individual all-around title for the sixth time in her career. 

Today's win happened 10 years after she won her first world championship, which also happened to be in Belgium, where today's championships took place. When she was just 16, Biles scored 58.399 points across the balance beam, floor, vault, and uneven bars to beat Rebeca Andrade, who was the Brazilian defending champion at the time, by 1.633 points.

The gold medal is Biles's 27th world championship title overall — and it marks her 21st gold medal. Today's honor comes just two days after she led the U.S women to a seventh straight win in the team event, which also set a record in the sport. Currently, Biles has 34 medals across the world championships and the Olympic Games, giving her the distinction of being the most decorated gymnast, ever, male or female. The Paris Olympics are less than a year away and Biles is proving that she's ready to show the world that she's the best she's ever been.

Biles's return to gymnastics comes after the Tokyo Olympics, when she was dealing with a mental block that athletes call "the twisties." She famously removed herself from competition to work on her mental health. But before she can think about Paris, she could make history again this weekend. The competition continues with more events, including the women’s vault and uneven bars finals on Saturday. Sunday's events include the balance beam and floor exercise finals.