Simone Biles wins 6th U.S. gymnastics title, defies gravity with never-attempted moves just because she can

Simone Biles wins her sixth U.S. title
(Image credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Simone Biles won her sixth U.S. women's gymnastics national title on Sunday night, her overall two-day score — 118.500 — five points higher than No. 2 Sunisa Lee and about eight points ahead of third-place finisher Grace McCallum. Winning was nothing new for Biles, 22, who has triumphed in every meet she's participated in since the 2013 nationals. "But a move on floor exercise so difficult no other woman has done it and very few men even try it?" says Nancy Armour at USA Today. "Now that made it a night to remember."

Biles nailed that gravity-defying move, her triple-twisting double flip, during her floor routine Sunday night. The" triple-double" was "the exclamation point of another dazzling performance that showcased just how wide the gulf between Biles and the rest of the world has become," The Associated Press says. She got "so much height on the move the folks in the first half-dozen rows had to crane their necks to see her," Armour adds. "Someone could have parked an SUV on the floor and Biles would have cleared it easily. Take that, NBA Dunk Contest participants."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.