Quantcast

Simone Biles rolls to third straight gymnastics title

Associated Press | 8/20/2015, 9:34 p.m. | Updated on 8/20/2015, 10:35 p.m.
Simone Biles’ friends are running out of words to describe her almost as quickly as Biles is running out of ...

INDIANAPOLIS

Simone Biles’ friends are running out of words to describe her almost as quickly as Biles is running out of competition.

At the moment, there is none.

Biles soared to her third straight U.S. women’s gymnastics title last Saturday, putting on a staggering display that served notice the gap between the 18-year-old and everyone else is widening with the 2016 Olympics less than 12 months away.

“I just keep shocking myself,” Biles said.

Biles posted a two-round total of 124.100, nearly five points ahead of BFF Maggie Nichols in a sport typically decided by fractions.

Biles joined Kim Zmeskal-Burdette as the only Americans to win three consecutive national all-around titles while the two-time world champion extended her unbeaten streak to nine meets and counting.

“Today, she was just ‘wow,’” Nichols said.

Biles did it against a group laden with Olympic medals. Three-time Olympic medalist Aly Raisman was third, Bailie Key was fourth and defending Olympic all-around champion Gabby Douglas was fifth in the final major event before the world championship this fall in Scotland. The U.S. will try to back up the team gold it won in China last October.