Simone Biles made history yesterday by becoming the first woman to win four all-around titles at the world championships - but despite the success the American gymnastics star was unhappy with her performance.
The 21-year-old “overcame a series of uncharacteristic mistakes”, The Guardian reports, after she fell on the balance beam and the vault during the championships in Doha, Qatar. She also stepped out of bounds on the floor exercise.
But despite the mistakes - her first falls in more than 60 career routines in the worlds or Olympics - USA Today says that the margin of victory was the highest of her all-around world titles.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Biles, who won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was not even in the best of health in Doha after being admitted to hospital with kidney stones on the eve of the championships.
After her victory Biles said to the BBC: “I wish I could have put out a better performance because that’s not the gymnast that I am. But we all make mistakes and fall - it’s just how you get up and prove yourself.”
Speaking to the New York Times she added: “It’s not the gymnast that I am, to go out there and kind of bomb a meet like this. Even though I won, I wish it were a little bit different.”
Biles has now won the all-around world titles in Antwerp (2013), Nanning (2014), Glasgow (2015) and this year in Doha. At the Olympic Games two years ago she won gold medals in the team event, all-around, vault and floor exercise.
Today she also claimed gold in the vault in Qatar and became the first gymnast to win 13 world titles.
