Gymnastics, in many ways, is a mirage-like display of power and athleticism coupled with elegance and beauty, a perfect exterior of twisting shapes concealing the extraordinary efforts beneath.

It was an image of the sport’s most successful athletes too until Simone Biles began to remodel it two years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, an unintended consequence of pulling out of several events suffering from what is known as the “twisties” – a mental block causing a gymnast to lose track of their positions midair.

The most successful gymnast of her time had shown her fallibility on the biggest stage of all, and as she completed a history-making comeback at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships last week, she completed refashioning those expectations of success.

By returning to the world stage in such emphatic style, Biles reimagined that image of a model athlete into someone who can land unprecedented skills at the highest level and is open about her own mental health, someone who is older than traditionally successful gymnasts but still defining her sport.

The mirage of the performance remains but, with the backstage efforts required to conjure it more visible, it is a more complex, and arguably more impressive, image.

Records as well as medals announced Biles’ return to the pinnacle of the sport in Antwerp, Belgium.

She became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault at an international competition, ensuring that it will now be named the Biles II in her honor, and became the most decorated male or female gymnast ever, surpassing Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 33 overall medals across both the Olympics and the world championships.

She won four gold medals during the world championships too – in the team, all-around, beam and floor competitions – as well as a silver medal in the vault. In her weakest discipline – the uneven bars finals – she finished fifth.

Five months ago, Biles didn’t think she’d ever compete again, she said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

She had taken a two-year break from the sport after Tokyo to focus on her mental health. During that time, Biles has been open about re-evaluating her relationship to gymnastics, “going to therapy, making sure everything is aligned so that I can do the best in the gym and be a good wife, good daughter, good friend, all of the good things,” as she told NBC in September.

Nevertheless, ghosts from Tokyo still lingered at the world championships, she said afterwards, memories bubbling to the surface and making her “nervous” for the team finals on Wednesday.

“That’s when everything occurred, so I was a little bit traumatized from that,” she said on Friday, according to the official Olympics website.

Returning to the international stage in Antwerp provided a neat bookend for her career to date, a fitting place to re-establish herself as the world’s best gymnast as it was in Antwerp that Biles first announced herself on the world stage 10 years ago, winning her first all-around world title as a precocious 16-year-old, as well as a gold, silver and bronze medal in the floor, vault and beam respectively.

“I’m very proud,” she said on her return to Antwerp. “Especially after the year I had after Tokyo, coming back and just being comfortable and confident in my routines. I couldn’t ask for more,” she told BBC Sport.

Now, attention turns to Paris. Biles has already said that competing at next year’s Paris Olympics is a “a path I would love to go (down),” and returning to the biggest stage of all would add yet another dimension to her already remarkable legacy.

In the aftermath of an astounding comeback in which she won four gold medals and a silver after a two-year international absence, Simone Biles had every reason to celebrate her renewed dominance and a historic performance that marked her as the most decorated gymnast of all time.

Instead, as she faced up to the press on Sunday evening at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Biles was firm. She did not care about the medals.

“I had to prove to myself that I could still get out here, twist,” she said. “I could prove all the haters wrong, that I’m not a quitter, this, that and the other. For me, I didn’t care. As long as I’m out there twisting again and finding the joy for gymnastics again, who cares?”

Two years ago, when she was forced to withdraw from the Olympics after suffering from the “twisties”, completely losing her air awareness, Biles retreated from the sport. Even this year, she was unsure that she would return to gymnastics. As she worked hard to address her deteriorated mental health, she embraced therapy, focusing on living in the moment rather than looking ahead. She has learned how to sometimes say “no”.

The joy that Biles was able to compete with throughout the event was her biggest triumph of all. By advocating for herself and having the clarity to prioritise her mental and physical health during one of the most important moments of her career, Biles has likely prolonged her career. Her decisions over the last two years will have a greater lasting impact both within and beyond her sport than any peerless new skill.

Such was Biles’s determination to remain in the moment and not look ahead, she has been hesitant to even mention the Paris Olympics since she returned to competition. Still, the obvious consequence of the results in Antwerp is that Biles has re-established herself as the dominant force in the sport right as Paris approaches.

But she is not the only star. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade shared all five podiums with Biles in Antwerp, and it was thrilling to see the 24-year-old push the best gymnast in the world with the promise that there is more to come. Biles genuinely seemed to enjoy the presence of a worthy rival. While they competed fiercely, both athletes were gracious and thoughtful throughout. After the event, Biles and Andrade danced at the post-event gala.

Older gymnasts will continue to dominate the pre-Paris narratives. Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around champion, announced in July that she is back in training and planning to return in 2024 having not competed since the Rio Olympics. The relentless criticism and abuse from both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games also had a destructive effect on Douglas’s mental health, leading to a far longer retreat from the sport.

Eight years is a long time between competitions, but Douglas is only a year older than Biles and the 27-year-old is so talented that it will be taken seriously. Sunisa Lee, the all-around champion in Tokyo, will also attempt to return to a second Olympics after serious kidney issues this year.

After such incredible performances in Tokyo and then last year in Liverpool, Antwerp proved to be a disappointing outing for British gymnasts until Jake Jarman produced an incredible vaulting performance on the final day. Jarman has been capable of astonishingly difficult skills for a long time yet things are coming together. The 21-year-old is now armed with the confidence of being a world champion and he continues to improve as an all-around gymnast.

Despite his fall in the pommel horse final, Max Whitlock’s performances in Antwerp made it clear that he will be in the fight as he attempts to defend his Olympic gold-medal on the pommel horse for a third time. The contest for gold with the clean, elegant Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland, now a two-time world champion, will be one of the highlights of the event.

 The medals, and the colors of them, were irrelevant.

Yes, Simone Biles is leaving these world championships with a fistful of them, four of them gold. Her real prize, though, can’t be quantified on a scoreboard or a stat sheet. It’s how she feels, and the confidence she takes from returning to a place that, not all that long ago, she doubted she would.

Doubted she could.

“I had to prove to myself that I could still get out here, twist. (I wanted to) prove all the haters wrong, that I’m not a quitter,” Biles said Sunday night. “As long as I’m out there twisting again, having and finding the joy for gymnastics again, who cares?”

The world championships were Biles’ first meet since the Tokyo Olympics, where rising anxiety caused by lofty expectations on her and the isolation of COVID restrictions brought on a case of “the twisties.” Unable to tell where she was in the air and unwilling to risk her physical safety, she withdrew from all but one final.

Biles returned for the balance beam final and won a bronze medal.

But the twisties, and the emotional scars from them, lingered. Are still there, actually.

Even though she returned to the gym, Biles didn’t decide to compete until May. And those first competitions, the U.S. Classic and national championships, were individual ones.

Worlds was the first time since Tokyo she’d participate in a team final, which is where the twisties surfaced. It also would require her to be away from home, and the routines and many of the people that help keep her grounded, for several weeks.

Though Biles said she was nervous before the team final, she made it through. Better than that, she appeared relaxed and happy throughout the competition, seeming to enjoy being around the other gymnasts and getting showered with love from the crowds.

“She needed it for herself and she missed it,” coach Laurent Landi said. “Now I think she feels much better about what she has accomplished. And not just on the field of play but outside the gym as well, and to be able to perform the way she did.

“It’s the process that’s more important than the result.”

That was the point of it all.

Sure, her all-around title made Biles the most-decorated gymnast in history, male or female, and she now has a staggering 37 medals from the world championships and Olympics. But she now has good memories from here to diminish the bad ones from Tokyo.

Her experience in Tokyo will always be part of her. We are the sum total of our lives, and it’s impossible to appreciate our best moments without the context we have from our worst. But what happened in Tokyo no longer has to be at the forefront of Biles’ mind.

When she thinks of a team final, she can envision her spectacular floor routine, arguably the best she’s ever done. Which, given the sixth title she won on that event Sunday, is saying something. When she thinks of twisting, she can picture herself here in Antwerp, and how much fun she had doing it. When she thinks of the expectations, she can remember how ecstatic fans here were to have her back.

We all have doubts, Landi said. It’s what we do with them that matters, and Biles faced hers here and came out stronger.

“If you keep remembering what happened in Tokyo, it’s not good for you. So you want to take that away from your brain. It’s just a fluke,” Landi said. “I think emotionally and mentally, she can handle it better than she did. Because now you know that (this performance) can happen. Before you didn’t know, so you need to protect yourself against all of this.”

Biles is hesitant to talk too much about next summer’s Paris Olympics. She said in a TODAY show interview last month “that’s the path I would love to go,” but not looking too far ahead has worked well for her so far in this comeback. So, too, prioritizing herself.

Biles has been at this long enough to know people will see what she did at these worlds and start putting her on all of the podiums in Paris. But that’s them, not her. She’s just happy to be doing gymnastics again and even happier to be having fun doing gymnastics again.

“As long as I get out there, do those routines again, it’s a win in my book,” Biles said. “It doesn’t matter if I end up on the podium or not.”

The medals are nice. The peace of mind she won here is even more precious.

Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport on Friday after winning her sixth individual all-around title at the world championships.

To celebrate her accomplishment, Biles won another medal.

On Saturday, Biles competed in the vault, and nearly added another gold medal to her collection despite suffering a fall on one of her two attempts.

Biles’ first vault was a Yurchenko double pike, now known officially as the Biles II. After slightly over-rotating, Biles hit the ground. She bounced back quickly for her second vault, which she landed clean.

Biles finished with an average score of 14.549 between her two vaults, which ultimately put her in second behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who scored 14.750.

But the battle for gold was even closer than their scores made it appear. During her first attempt, Biles elected to have her coach Laurent Landi stand at the mat for safety reasons. This decision came with a half-point deduction, which Biles knowingly took.

The difficulty scores of Biles’s vault attempts are so high that she comes into competitions with a huge advantage. The Biles II comes with a difficulty score of 6.4. According to The Washington Post, three of Biles’s teammates compete with vaults that have a difficulty score of 5.0.

Coming into the competition, Biles could take the half-point deduction without giving up the majority of her advantage in difficulty score. But looking at the final standings, with Biles coming up 0.201 points short, it’s not hard to figure out how a half-point deduction impacted her result.

Still, even with her fall, Biles took home silver, extending her record medal count to 28 at worlds.

Simone Biles fell short of further burnishing her status as the greatest gymnast of all time last night, coming fifth in the uneven bars finals at the World Gymnastics Championships.

The result was immaterial to most fans, following as it did her all-around gold win on Friday which capped an astonishing comeback after a two-year career hiatus to protect her mental health. Her total haul of 34 world and Olympic medals eclipses any other gymnast, male or female, making her the most decorated in history.

Bars is considered Biles’ weaker event with experts agreeing it was impressive that she even reached the final in Belgium yesterday.

The scenes were a far cry from those witnessed during the Tokyo Olympics two years ago when she stunned the world by withdrawing from four of five finals, including the team and all-around events. Biles blamed it on “the twisties,” the sudden onset of a mental block that in gymnastics can cause a person to lose their sense of where they are in the air.

After her withdrawal from the Olympics, a handful of critics ranging from Fox News presenters to online trolls derided Biles as a “quitter” who had let her team down for selfish reasons. Weeks later, her challenges appeared compounded when Biles broke down in tears when, appearing before a senate judiciary committee in Washington, she shared her story of being sexually abused by disgraced US gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

“I don’t want another young gymnast, or Olympic athlete, or any individual to experience the horror that I and hundreds of others have endured before.

during and continuing to this day in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse,” said Biles, her voice choking as she articulated how those responsible for protecting young gymnasts had profoundly failed.

For some observers, the experiences seemed too much even for a competitor used to battling. Biles has recounted eating cereal with water because her family couldn’t afford milk and being taken into foster care in Columbus, Ohio, as her mother fought addiction. She was later adopted by her maternal grandparents in Texas.

After helping the US to a record seventh consecutive team title at the world championships in Antwerp earlier last week, Biles secured her second gold medal on Friday – a decade after she won her first all-around world title as a 16-year-old in the same city.

On the podium the gymnast was visibly emotional. “I was emotional because 10 years (ago) I won my first worlds, now we’re back here.

“It means everything to me, the fight, everything that I’ve put in to get back to this place to feel comfortable and confident enough to compete.”

Having regained her place at the highest level, the Texan is already understood to be preparing for the Paris Olympics, which are fewer than 10 months away. Officially, however, the gymnast has repeatedly stressed that she is taking things one competition at a time.

Lauded not only for her comeback ability, Biles is also admired for her outspokenness and willingness to speak out against injustices: telling people to vote, arguing that electricity and clean water should be more accessible and calling out violence against Asian Americans.

During the protests that followed George Floyd’s killing in 2021, Biles stood up for Black Lives Matter, further bolstering her appeal to her legions of fans, many of whom were born after she began her senior career in 2013.

Earlier this year, Biles married NFL star Jonathan Owens in Texas, a year after getting engaged on Valentine’s Day.

Biles’s competition continues today with the balance beam and floor exercise finals.

The superstar Brazilian capitalised after Biles couldn’t control her first vault. Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat claimed floor title. Kaylia Nemour took first ever medal for Africa, while Rhys McClenaghan defended title ahead of USA’s Khoi Young.

Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won her second World vaulting title Saturday (7 October) at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, edging out USA star Simone Biles, who flew backward out of her first vault.

The 24-year-old Brazilian averaged a 14.750 for the gold with Biles at 14.549. Andrade is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion on the event, and took her first World title on the event in 2021.

It was Biles’ 28th medal at the World Championships and her 35th major career medal, the record.

Andrade was the final’s last competitor. Nearly sticking her Cheng (round off onto the board, front handspring, front layout one-and-a-half twist off) first vault for a massive 15.000. Needing better than 14.098 to take the gold, she boomed a double-twisting Yurchenko, earning a 14.500.

As the duo waited for the final score to flash, they sat side-by-side, chatting. When confirmation came on the Sportpaleis’ massive scoreboards, Andrade and Biles clasped hands before Andrade’s celebreation kicked into high gear running to coach Francisco Porath who was hold a Brazilian flag for his pupil.

“I’m really happy about this for Brazil, it’s another gold,” Andrade told Olympics.com afterward. “I don’t know if I expected it in my mind, of course, we always try to win, but the principal goal is to do my part.”

2020 Olympic bronze medallist Yeo Seo-jeong claimed her first World medal on the event in third (14.416). The medal is also a first for the Republic of Korea on the event at Worlds.

Biles went for her daring Yurchenko double pike as the final’s first competitor but had too much power to control and jumped to her back on the landing. The vault, now called the Biles II in the sport’s rule book, carries such a high difficulty score, 6.4, that she still earned a 14.433 for it.

American Simone Biles has become the most decorated gymnast in history after winning her second gold medal at the World Gymnastics Championships.

After helping the United States to a record seventh consecutive team title earlier this week, the 26-year-old won all-around gold in Belgium on Friday.

Her total of 34 world and Olympic medals is more than any other gymnast, male or female.

Biles took gold with a score of 58.399 points.

She finished ahead of defending champion Rebeca Andrade of Brazil (56.766), while Biles’ American team-mate Shilese Jones took bronze with a score of 56.332.

It continued Biles’ impressive return to international competition, with the Antwerp event her first since taking a break from the sport two years ago to work on her mental health.

This triumph was her sixth all-around world title to take her overall tally to 27 world medals, which includes 21 golds.

She could extend that over the weekend where she will aim to make the podium in four other events in the apparatus finals.

Biles’ impressive form comes with less than 10 months to go until the Olympics in Paris.

Great Britain’s 2022 world floor champion, Jessica Gadirova, dropped out of the all-around competition before it got under way, with British Gymnastics confirming she was withdrawn as a “precautionary measure”.

Alice Kinsella took Gadirova’s place and finished seventh with a score of 54.032, while team-mate Ondine Achampong was 13th.

Kinsella admitted the late call-up came as a shock, saying: “I only went [out] to do little bits and bobs like stretching, conditioning, and then I went off to get my foot rubbed, then my coach came over said, ‘Alice, you need to get your leotard on straight away.’

“I was a bit stressed, I didn’t really know what to do or say to anyone.”

American gymnastics star, Simone Biles, has clinched a new title as the world’s most decorated gymnast of all time.

The 26-year-old athlete set this new record during the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships which was held in Antwerp, Belgium.

The gymnast gave several stunning performances during the game, including her historic Yurchenko double pike vault performance on Monday. As the first woman to land the complicated routine, she was greeted with applause from the crowd and had the routine named after her.

On Friday, the Olympian extended her record as the highest all-around title holder after she clinched her sixth. She scored a total of 58.399 points for her balance beam, floor, vault and uneven bars performance. Notably, Biles won her first all-around title ten years ago, at the age of 16 in the same city.

The Texas native currently holds 7 Olympic and 27 World Championship medals placing her as the most decorated gymnast in the world in both male and female categories

She had earlier tied with her Belarusian counterpart, Vitaly Scherbo, who had a total of 33 medals.

The United States team also successfully defended their title and won the championships for the seventh consecutive year on Wednesday.

Speaking of her win on Friday, Biles told reporters, “Actually, I had something in my eye today that I couldn’t get out, I swear it’s true. But I was emotional because 10 years ago I won my first worlds and now we’re back here.”

Biles’ winning streak comes after a downtime at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. During the competition, she had to pull out of several games due to medical and mental health issues.

Simone Biles’ remarkable comeback in 2023 has cemented her status as one of the “greatest of all time” in the world of sports. She has had back-to-back victories in the women’s qualifications at the World Championships and the women’s team final at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp. Biles has graced and aced the stage leaving her fans in awe. However, her favorite fan seems to be missing all the action.

Back in Houston, more than 5,000 miles away from Antwerp, Ronni Biles aka Baby Biles, has been diligently supporting her aunt in the most adorable way. Just a few weeks ago, Simone and Simone’s sister-in-law, Sammi Biles, shared a heartwarming picture of Ronni. She wore a matching leotard with her aunt. It was the same as the one worn at the National Championships. Now, as her beloved Aunt “TT” continues to make history in Antwerp, Baby Biles has shared yet another heart-warming surprise that has set the gymnastics community abuzz

In a recent Instagram story, Sammi Biles posted a video of Baby Biles in her crib, playfully engaging with her dad, Ron Biles II. Two colorful rings, the same ones used in men’s gymnastics as an apparatus, dangled above her crib. Baby Biles, attempted to lift herself up on these rings, a sight that touched the hearts of many. Sammi accompanied the video with a touching caption, “watching TT & wanting to be like her,” tagging Biles.

In her subsequent story, she shared another video, still in the crib with the rings, and added, “Covid may have taken over our household, but little miss is a fighter.” This update referred to recent health concerns as Baby Biles had to be taken to the ER due to symptoms of the “cold, flu, rsv season.” Sammi also expressed her pride in TT, Biles, Joscelyn Roberson, and Cécile Landi for their dedication and remarkable success, giving a special shout-out to the WCC team. This video came shortly after Simone Biles, part of Team USA, led the charge in Antwerp during the World Championships Team Finals, securing the gold.

Team USA women take on the world

Team USA women secured their seventh consecutive women’s team world title with a total score of 167.729 points, beating Brazil and France. Biles showcased her mastery, scoring high in the vault, bars, and beam, ending with a remarkable 15.166 on the floor.

Biles, the undisputed queen, now has 26 world championship medals, equaling Vitaly Scherbo’s record. Her journey in Antwerp continues as she aims for her sixth All-Around World Championships title on October 6 and fans await her magic yet again.