US gymnast Biles confirms world c’ships berth

LOS ANGELES, California: Simone Biles won the all-around competition at the US selection camp Sunday to confirm her spot on a fifth straight gymnastics World Championships team.

Biles, undefeated in official all-around competition for six years, will tie Kerri Strug as the only US women to compete at worlds in five different years when she takes part in the 2019 championships in Stuttgart, Germany, next month. Biles tallied 58.55 points to prevail by .35 over Sunisa Lee.

Biles had the top score on floor exercise and vault among 15 gymnasts competing in Sarasota, Florida. She opened on floor with the “triple-double” tumbling pass, the never-before-seen move featuring two flips and three twists which she debuted at the national championships in August.

Biles claimed the lone automatic world championships team spot by winning the all-around. The rest of the US team will be chosen by the selection committee. Five more women will be named to the world championships team after another day of competition on Monday.

The World Championships, which start on October 4, are the forerunner to the 2020 Tokyo Games, where Biles will be aiming to add to the five medals — four of them gold — that she won at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.