Simone Biles’ history-making World Championships almost didn’t happen.

After winning her sixth all-around title at 2023 Worlds this past weekend, Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport with 37 international medals. She wrapped up the competition in Belgium with two gold medals on Sunday, bringing her gold medal total to 23 at the World Championships and 29 overall.

But if you ask Biles, she wasn’t sure if she’d be competing even just a few months ago. When one social media user tweeted, “remember like five months ago we didn’t think Simone would ever compete again,” Biles replied that she “didn’t think so either.”

The 26-year-old expanded on that thought process Sunday, saying she was also surprised at how far she’s come in less than a year.

“I’m proud that my coaches, that I have them pushing me each and every step of the way, as well as my teammates because they’re really what kept me going throughout those hard days, coming back in the gym and not sure if I was going to do it again,” Biles said. “So I’m very shocked at the outcome, I’m very proud. I’m happy with the work that we’ve put in to get here.”

Biles isn’t ready to confirm she has her sights set on the 2024 Paris Olympics. She had to withdraw from several events at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after suffering from the “twisties,” which causes gymnasts to lose track of where they are in the air.

Biles has said that a return to the Olympic stage is among her goals, but the four-time Olympic gold medalist also knows that a lot could happen between now and next summer.

“I still think there are so many more meets before that next year, so we’re going to focus on those first and see how far we get,” she said. “Because again I didn’t think I’d be at Worlds, I didn’t think I’d be at Classics, and ended up just fine. So we’ll see.”

The 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships are here, and Simone Biles has won a sixth all-around title.

Two days after Biles and Team USA won gold in the team competition, the 26-year-old became the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport. With her individual gold medal, she has won 34 Olympic or world championship medals in her career, surpassing the previous record of 33 set by Belarusian men’s gymnast Vitaly Scherbo.

Already, Biles had etched her name in the record books by landing the Yurchenko double pike in the qualifying session. She is the first gymnast to do so in international competition, so the move will now be named the “Biles II.” And with the team win Wednesday, she became the only gymnast ever to be a part of five gold-medal winning teams at worlds.

On Friday, she added to her success in Antwerp, Belgium, winning her 21st gold medal at the world championships, and her 27th overall.

The U.S. women have won gold in the team competition in seven consecutive world championships, an all-time record. Shilese Jones, Leanne Wong, Skye Blakely and Joscelyn Roberson competed alongside Biles, accumulating a score of 167.729 points and beating out second-place Brazil (165.530).

Biles also is qualified to compete in all four event finals on Saturday and Sunday.

2023 World Gymnastics Championships: How to watch

  • Wednesday, Oct. 4 – Women’s Team Final
    • 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock
  • Friday, Oct. 6 – Women’s All-Around Final*
    • 1:30 p.m. ET on Peacock
  • Saturday, Oct. 7 – Apparatus Finals, Day 1
    • 8 a.m. ET on Peacock
  •  Sunday, Oct. 8 – Apparatus Finals, Day 2
    • 8 a.m. ET on Peacock; 2 p.m. ET highlights on CNBC

*Note: The women’s all-around final also will be re-aired at noon Saturday, Oct. 14, on NBC.

Simone Biles continues to make history, making a record sixth world championships roster for the U.S. gymnastics team.

The 26-year-old earned an all-around total of 55.7000 at the selection camp, which put her ahead of Shilese Jones and Sky Blakely for the top spot on the roster. She becomes the only U.S. woman to qualify for six world championship teams. Admittedly, though, her performance to make the team was not her best.

“I feel like everybody was nervous [Tuesday] — not just me,” Biles told reporters Wednesday. “And I don’t know why. But it was just rough. So today was a lot better.”

Biles is joined by three gold medal winners from the 2022 world championships – Jones, Blakely and Leanne Wong. Additionally, 17-year-old Joscelyn Robertson was named to the roster.

The event marks a return to Antwerp, Belgium, for Biles, who won the first of her five all-around titles there at just 16 years old. In an Instagram story post following her qualification, she wrote, “Back to where it all started, see you soon Belgium.”

It’s been a decade, but Biles will return to Antwerp – this time looking to become the most decorated gymnast in history.

Currently, Biles has 32 combined Olympic and world championship medals – 25 of which have come at the world championships. She’s currently tied with Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union, who retired in 1966, for the most medals ever at the two events, but Biles could break that tie with a medal at worlds.

The next major event after the 2023 world championships will be 2024 Paris Olympics, and Biles wants to compete for the U.S. at another Summer Games. But she’s taking it one step at a time, and that now includes a trip to the world championships.

“Everything we’re doing leading up to this next Games, or whatever, is very intentional,” she said earlier this month. “I think I have to take care of myself a little bit more and listen to my body and making sure I’m making time for the important things in my life, rather than before it was just like go, go, go and then making time after.

“This time around, it’s being intentional, going to therapy, making sure everything is aligned so I can do the best in the gym and be like, a good wife, good daughter, good friend — all the good things.”

Simone Biles has her sights set on the Paris Olympics in 2024.

The seven-time Olympic medal winner, who returned to competition in August, told the “Today” show that the 2024 Olympics in Paris is “the path I would love to go.”

Following the U.S. Classic and U.S. Championships in August, Biles remained mum about the upcoming Summer Games. But she spoke with “Today” host Hoda Kotb about her goals, which include Paris.

“If I had $5 in my hand and I was going to Vegas and I’m like, ‘I’m going to bet on whether Simone will go to the Olympics or not,'” Kotb asked, “where would I put my five bucks, the yay or the nay?”

Biles responded: “I wouldn’t mind if you put it in the yay section.”

The five-time world all-around champion is likely to compete at this year’s world championships after taking home the all-around title at the U.S. competition. Still, she’s remaining down to earth amid her return to gymnastics.

“I think we have to be a little bit more cautious about how we do things. So everything that we’re doing leading up to this next Games or whatever is very intentional,” Biles said. “We’ve kind of been playing it on the down low this time, making sure mentally and physically are both intact. So I think it’ll be different, but it’ll be good.”

Biles made headlines at the Tokyo Olympics when she had to withdraw from several events due to the “twisties,” which causes gymnasts to lose track of where they are in the air. Her absence sparked discussions about athletes’ physical and mental health, and Biles wants to continue to prioritize both as she approaches a potential third Olympic appearance.

“I think I have to take care of myself a little bit more and listen to my body and making sure that I’m making time for the important things in my life rather than before,” Biles said. “It was just like, go, go, go, and, then, making time after.

“This time around, it’s like being intentional, going to therapy, making sure everything is aligned so that I can do the best in the gym and be, like, a good wife, a good daughter, a good friend, all the good things.”

And while Biles’ return to the sport has looked easy, it hasn’t always been, she admitted.

“There were times when I would come in the gym and I’d be like, ‘You know what? No, I don’t think this is going to work,'” she said. “And then I was like, ‘No, I’m going to give it another day. I’m going to give it another day.’ So I think just showing up and putting that work and that effort in really, really came to play.

“So as long as I showed up for another day and kept putting that work in, then [any doubts] kind of went down and dwindled. So, right now, I’m feeling really good. I think I still sometimes doubt myself, but I’m still doing my therapy and making sure everything’s aligned well.”