Alkass Digital
DOHA, October 28, 2018 - Simone Biles launched herself and her U.S. squad to first place Friday as women's qualification began at the 2018 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Doha (QAT), where the 21-year-old Olympic champion unveiled a new ultra-difficult vault.
At stake in qualification are spots in the team, individual All-around and apparatus finals in the qualification competition advance to the finals at the world championships. The three medal-winning nations in the team final earn berths to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (JPN). Additionally, the top 24 teams in Doha advance full teams to the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart (GER).
Biles made her return to international competition in Doha after taking a break in 2017. She amazed on all four events in Friday evening's fifth subdivision of qualification, electrifying the Aspire Arena as she shot to the top of the individual rankings in the All-around, Vault, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise, and second place on Uneven Bars.
One overarched handstand on Bars and two small wobbles on Beam were the talented Texan's most noticeable errors. With a total of 60.965, she leads the All-around by 4.5 points, an astonishing margin, over her teammate Morgan Hurd, the defending world champion.
Biles' performance was all the more remarkable considering her late-night visit to the emergency room on Thursday for an untimely kidney stone, which she said caused her to skip Friday's training sessions. She showed no signs of a struggle in competition, even debuting her new vault of Yurchenko half-on, double-twisting layout handspring front off, which was given a Difficulty rating of 6.4. With just a small hop on the landing, Biles scored 15.966, the highest score of both the men's and women's competition so far. She scored the same Execution mark of 9.566 for her second vault of 2 1/2-twisting Yurchenko, valued at 5.8.
Hurd, who took the All-around gold and Balance Beam silver at the 2017 World Championships in Montreal (CAN), showed world champion form as she helped the U.S. women tally 174.429, more than 12 points ahead of Japan, currently in second. Mai Murakami (JPN) is currently ranked third ahead of Nina Derwael (BEL) and Riley McCusker (USA), who fell on her layout, layout series on Beam.
The top eight gymnasts on each apparatus advance to the individual finals, with a limit of two gymnasts per nation in any one event. Asian Games Vault champion Yeo Seojeong, a first-year senior, turned in two difficult vaults, though her average of 14.483 is more than 1 point behind Biles. Seven-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina (UZB), a crowd favourite, also vaulted cleanly for third so far.
Derwael, the two-time European champion on Uneven Bars, confirmed her favourite status on the event with a highly difficult 6.5 routine that earned 15.066. Three-time Olympian Elisabeth Seitz delivered a third-best 14.566 that helped Germany to third place currently.
On Balance Beam, American newcomer Kara Eaker matched Biles' Difficulty to score 14.466, currently second behind Biles. Olympic champion Sanne Wevers (NED) is sitting in third place after missing a connection that lowered her Difficulty score.
Murakami, the defending world champion on Floor Exercise, is currently second to Biles, followed by Hurd. Qualification concludes Sunday in Doha, where former world champions China and Russia will take the floor and try to shake up the standings.