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Simone Biles Wins 6th U.S. Women's Gymnastics Title

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Last night, the undisputed queen of U.S. gymnastics made the impossible possible again.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: (Laughter) Money. Just keep making history, Simone Biles.

GREENE: The crowd and the commentators cheered as Simone Biles landed a completely new skill in her floor routine at the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Championships.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Yeah, it was a triple-double - a huge leap, three twists and two backflips. She is the first woman to do that in competition, which was broadcast by NBC. Biles was worried that she'd landed out of bounds, but afterward she confirmed with her coaches that indeed her feet were inside the line.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SIMONE BILES: Was I out?

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: No.

BILES: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: You did it. Nice job.

GREENE: Yeah, she sure did it. Biles had technically done it Friday, too, earlier in the meet, but that attempt was messy, and she had to put her hand down to stay on her feet.

MARTIN: Biles said she wanted to throw Friday night in the trash. Last night, the 22-year-old told reporters she channeled her earlier frustration to stick the routine this time around.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BILES: I feel like the other day I was, like, doing angry gymnastics, and I was just really upset. And then today it was just, like, back to normal and happy.

MARTIN: For Biles, normal and happy means earning her sixth U.S. Gymnastics title, tying a record set in the 1950s. On her way to that crown, Biles debuted another new skill on the balance beam - an unprecedented double-double dismount.

GREENE: If she nails it or the triple-double at the World Championships in October, those moves will officially be named after her - just another way Simone Biles is rewriting the history of her sport.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOSS OF AURA'S "WHEELS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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