Simone Biles had the highest-scoring night yet of her comeback to open the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, meeting her goal of becoming the first woman to break 60 points in the all-around in this Olympic cycle.
Biles posted her best scores since returning to competition last year on vault and the uneven bars. She was one tenth off the best balance beam of her comeback and two tenths off her best floor exercise.
Nobody outscored her on any apparatus Friday.
She totaled 60.45 points on the first of two nights of competition at nationals, which conclude Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas (7 p.m. ET, NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, Peacock).
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Biles, eyeing a record-extending ninth U.S. all-around title, leads by 3.4 points over Skye Blakely.
It’s the second competition of 2024 for Biles. Two weeks ago, she won the Core Hydration Classic with 59.5 points, which at the time was the world’s best all-around score in this Olympic cycle.
No other woman in the world has scored 58.6 points since the Tokyo Olympics, according to the Gymternet.
“I know (Biles) says she’s ready to be done, but I think she’s really enjoying it and appreciating every meet she gets to do,” said Cecile Landi, one of her coaches in Spring, Texas. “She can still improve. We have two months before the Games, and there’s a little here and there that she can improve, but she needs to feel confident. And this is how she feels confident, competing well. It builds up for her.”
The U.S. Championships are the last major competition before the Olympic Trials, which are June 27-30 in Minneapolis.
The trials all-around winner makes the team for the Paris Games. A three-person selection committee picks the other four team members after trials, taking into account results dating back to last fall’s world championships.
Blakely, a world championships team member the last two years, boosted her chances of making her first Olympics.
She had the second-highest scores on vault and beam and edged Kayla DiCello by two tenths for second in the all-around.
Blakely scored 57.050 points, beating the goal of 56 she put in the Notes app of her phone before the competition.
Suni Lee placed fourth in her first elite all-around since winning the Tokyo Olympics. Lee is working her way back after being diagnosed with two kidney diseases early last year. She has been in remission since late 2023.
Shilese Jones, a two-time world all-around medalist who was runner-up to Biles at 2023 Nationals, withdrew Friday before competition, citing a right shoulder injury.
Jones said in a statement that she plans to be full strength for Olympic Trials.
Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around gold medalist, withdrew Wednesday with an ankle injury that ends her Paris Olympic hopes. Douglas returned to competition this year for the first time since the 2016 Rio Games.
Nationals continue Saturday with the final night of men’s competition at 8 ET on CNBC, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.
