Biles wins historic gold to record sixth world all-around title

Antwerp, Oct 7 (IANS) Simone Biles of the United States capped her stunning return by winning the sixth world all-around title here on Friday at the 52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

The occasion took place in the Antwerp Sportpaleis, the same arena where she won her first world all-around title 10 years ago. The 26-year-old earned 58.399 points to secure the gold with powerful dominance, ahead of 2022 world champion Rebeca Andrade (56.766) from Brazil and her US teammate Shilese Jones (56.332), reports Xinhua.

Biles showed a solid Cheng vault for the top score of 15.100 and performed steadily on uneven bars for 14.333. She collected the highest scores from balance beam and floor exercise as well.

"The gold medal means everything," Biles said. "It means strength, courage, the fight, tenacity. It has been such a long journey to get back here and feel comfortable and confident to compete again."

It came 26 months after Biles made global headlines by withdrawing from most of the finals at the Tokyo Olympic Games to protect her physical and mental health after struggling with the "twisties" in training and competition.

With the historic gold, Biles combined 34 world and Olympic medals, surpassing the Belarusian gymnastic legend Vitaly Scherbo to become the new record holder with the most medals.

China's 16-year-old world debutant Qiu Qiyuan surprised to win the fourth place with 54.799 points. Her horizontal bar score is the second highest among the 24 finalists.