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Simone Biles wins two more gold medals for USA at World Championships to extend gymnastics record

Biles, who was competing after two-year break to focus on her mental health, made history on Friday when she won individual all-around title to break the record for most World Championship medals won; Jake Jarman gave Britain its first medal by taking gold in the vault

United States' Simone Biles shows her gold medal on the beam during the apparatus finals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Geert vanden Wijngaert)
Image: Simone Biles celebrates with her beam gold medal at the Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp

Simone Biles claimed two more gold medals at the World Championships on Sunday to further improve her position as the most decorated gymnast in history.

The American star won the women's balance beam and floor finals in a dominant fashion on the final day of the competition in Antwerp.

Biles, who was competing after a two-year break to focus on her mental health, made history on Friday when she won the individual all-around title to break the record for most World Championship medals won.

She has now extended that record to 30 medals with Sunday's performances taking her tally of golds to 23 in addition to a silver medal on the vault.

Biles started the afternoon with a superb beam routine. She had no hesitation on her jumps and delivered controlled spins before dismounting in style, with just a small hop when landing.

She earned a score of 14.800 points to win ahead of China's Zhou Yaqin by a margin of just 0.1 of a point. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil took the bronze medal.

Biles later took to the mat for her last appearance of a busy week in the floor final. She had posted the highest score in qualifying and impressed again with a series of spectacular tumbling passes.

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Even though she stepped out of bounds midway through her highly difficult routine, Biles earned the day's best score, 14.633 points. It was Biles' sixth world floor championship, a discipline where she remains undefeated.

Andrade, another star of the sport, took the silver medal ahead of her Brazil team-mate Flavia Saraiva.

Antwerp was the city where Biles started her collection of 23 world titles 10 years ago as a 16-year-old and she has now won a record 37 medals at the world championships and Olympics combined.

Great Britain's Jarman takes vault gold

In the men's competition, Jake Jarman gave Britain its first medal by taking gold in the vault with a combined score of 15.050 points.

Jarman started with a nearly flawless vault and was pumped after he landed a Dragulescu on his second effort, giving a big hug to his coach and raising his arms in triumph.

His total allowed him to leapfrog American Khoi Young by a margin of 0.201.

Young's pair of vaults earned him a runner-up finish and a third medal this week to go with the bronze in the team event and silver on the pommel horse. Nazar Chepurnyi of Ukraine finished third.

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