Biles in control once again at US Gymnastics Championships

Fort Worth (US), Jun 05 (AP): Looks like the rust is gone for Simone Biles. Well, almost. The reigning Olympic and world gymnastics champion put on a dazzling show at the U.S. Championships on Friday night, posting a score of 59.550 that makes her seventh national title a practical certainty.
The 24-year-old expressed a bit of frustration after miscues on balance beam and uneven bars during the U.S. Classic two weeks ago, her first meet in more than 18 months. She certainly looked more polished with the Olympic Trials in three weeks and the Tokyo Games less than 50 days away. Wearing a leotard with the outline of a goat a nod to her status as the Greatest of All Time on her right shoulder, Biles showcased why she’s in a class all her own, even on a night when she chose to keep her latest possibility-pushing innovation under wraps.
Biles wowed in Indianapolis last month when she became the first woman to complete a Yurchenko double-pike vault in competition. She landed it in practice Wednesday but opted to go with a pair of vaults with lower difficulty instead. She drilled her Cheng and took a pretty sizable step after landing her Amanar but still had little trouble posting the highest score 15.800 of the night.
She wasn’t done. Her uneven bars routine was largely mistake-free just two weeks after falling to the mat after failing to make a connection. Floor exercise a minute-plus showcase of the soaring athleticism that’s made Biles the rare gymnast with massive crossover appeal continues to be an issue. Sort of.
Biles tumbles with so much power that control is sometimes a problem. She stepped out three times, leaving her with a somewhat exasperated look on her face afterward.
Not that it mattered. Even with the mandatory deductions, her 14.650 score was still nearly a half-point ahead of Leanne Wong’s 14.200.