Simone Biles surges to lead at U.S. gymnastics championships - ESPN

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Simone Biles did not come back to do a victory lap.

The gymnastics star sent a message on Friday night at the U.S. Championships, putting together a thrilling performance that included a show-stopping vault and looking ready for another shot at Olympic glory in Paris next summer.

The 26-year-old, wearing a bedazzled purple leotard and with her family adorned in matching T-shirts that read «Still I Rise,» posted an all-around total of 59.300 that put a record eighth national title on Sunday well within reach.

As late as this spring, Biles was unsure about how dedicated she was to a return after dealing with a mental block known as «the twisties» that led her to remove herself from multiple finals at the 2020 Olympics to protect her own safety.

She dazzled in her comeback meet in Chicago this month. The 2016 Olympic champion was even better in front of an SAP Center crowd that roared every time she saluted the judges to start a routine.

They only grew louder when she finished them, particularly on vault, where her blend of power and precision can turn two seconds of flight into a spectacle.

She flirted with a Yurchenko double pike in 2021, a vault so difficult few men attempt it and no woman has ever landed it in international competition. On Friday, she may have perfected it, racing down the runway before doing a roundoff onto the table followed by two backflips with her hands tucked behind her ramrod straight legs.

Save for a small hop on the landing, it was essentially flawless. The judges agreed, awarding her a staggering 9.8 for execution. Her 15.7 point total was the highest of the night on any event even though it included Biles voluntarily taking a half-point neutral deduction so coach Laurent