SPORTS
Saturday, July 20, 2019
East Oregonian
B3
Biles hungry to keep edge as the world’s top women’s gymnast
By GARY B. GRAVES
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sim-
one Biles is always about taking it
a step forward. Often, it’s a huge
leap.
With the Olympic Games in
Tokyo just over a year away, the
world’s best gymnast believes her
top-flight routine can always use a
new wrinkle to stay ahead of her
competitors. Such as tweeting out
video of a punch layout front added
to her signature move, “The Biles,”
a double layout with a half turn on
the second flip.
Biles is expected to bust the
move during this weekend’s GK
U.S. Classic. If nothing else, the
event allows possibilities to exper-
iment with something new as she
tries to keep her edge.
“It’s exciting, but it’s also dif-
ferent,” Biles said Friday before a
media scrum following a two-hour
workout. “If you’re not looking for-
ward to something, you don’t push
yourself. I think it’s important so
you’re not just at a static (point) all
year long.
“We have to come out and com-
pete and show everybody what
we’ve been working on and try to
prove to ourselves that we can do
it as well.”
Doing it well isn’t a question
for Biles, 22, the most decorated
U.S. women’s gymnast. She owns
25 Olympic or World Champion-
ship medals, including a record 14
golds. That haul includes the 2016
Olympic all-around title, one of
four golds won in Rio de Janeiro.
Biles is the obvious focal point
AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File
In this Nov. 2, 2018, file photo, Simone Biles talks to other gymnasts as she warms up on the second and last day
of the apparatus finals of the Gymnastics World Championships at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar.
of this weekend’s U.S. Classic, the
final tuneup before next month’s
nationals in Kansas City. The
events will mark her only stateside
appearances in 2019, and she aims
to show improved routines in both.
Though the Spring, Texas,
native again figures to raise the bar
for her own benefit, Biles is mind-
ful of how younger, hungry chal-
lengers are eager to pounce on
any vulnerability she might show.
That’s expecting a lot given Biles’
more-chiseled physique than 2016
and her uncanny displays of athlet-
icism and acrobatics while flying at
full speed.
Not to mention her drive not to
let anyone get close in any exercise.
“This is why I keep pushing her
every day and why she keeps lis-
tening to me,” jokes Laurent Landi,
who coaches Biles along with his
wife, Cecile. “She cannot think
about the competition, she has
to think about pushing herself to
where Simone Biles can be the best
gym gymnast she can be in 2020.
“Whether it’s better or worse
than 2016 doesn’t really matter. It’s
just the moment that she needs to
be at her personal best, and if she
does that, she’s going to be ahead
of everybody else.”
Biles added, “I actually never
really pay attention to the gap
because I feel like everyone is
up and coming and they’re add-
ing difficulty to (routines) to try
to catch up. It’s really exciting
because it always motivates me and
everyone.”
For what it’s worth, her U.S.
competitors will focus on honing
their own skills at the U.S. Clas-
sic rather than thinking of chasing
Biles.
It’s a strong group for sure.
Morgan Hurd won the 2017 World
Championship while Biles took a
long-deserved break, and finished
third behind her in 2018. Riley
McCusker was on that gold med-
al-winning team as well last year,
and also looks to make gains this
weekend — all while marveling at
the example Biles continues setting
on and off the floor.
“Simone is just incredible,”
McCusker said. “It’s amazing
watching her. When I see some of
the things she does, I’m just like,
‘Oh, my gosh, that was amazing.’
It’s great to just be like alongside
her in this.”
Health-wise, Biles feels in a
good place. Sure, there are plenty
of aches and pains, and her coach
is closely monitoring some nag-
ging back issues. But Biles prac-
ticed Friday at the KFC Yum! Cen-
ter without wraps on her wrists and
ankles and appears ready to show
how fresh she is.
And driven.
“You know, I’m 22, so I’m push-
ing the age there,” Biles said. “But
I feel like for a 22-year-old, I’m
probably pretty healthy.
“I have to pay attention to my
body and take care of it a little bit
more than I have in the past year
just because I do a lot more work. I
just have to balance it all.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone suspended a game for umpire rant
By JAKE SEINER
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Yan-
kees manager Aaron Boone
expected to be suspended
following his profane rant at
a rookie umpire and opted
to serve his one-game ban
against the Colorado Rock-
ies on Friday night.
Boone aimed a memo-
rable tirade at plate umpire
Brennan Miller following
his ejection during a dou-
bleheader opener against
Tampa Bay on Thursday.
MLB executive Joe Torre
announced Friday that
Boone had been suspended
one game and fined, neither
of which surprised Boone,
who acknowledged making
contact with Miller with the
bill of his cap.
“I figured I’d be getting a
call at some point from Mr.
Torre,” he said. “And I did.”
Boone was ejected in the
second inning for arguing
from the dugout with Miller,
who had called a third strike
on Brett Gardner. The rant
was captured by television
microphones, and Boone’s
repeated reference to his hit-
ters as “savages” in the bat-
ter’s box went viral and was
being sold online on T-shirts
before the game ended.
Tensions were running
hot in New York’s dugout,
The EO’s
where Gardner left dents in
the roof by repeatedly slam-
ming his bat into it. Boone
said he sensed someone
was going to be ejected and
decided to make sure it was
him instead of one of his
players.
“Sometimes you try to
divert attention from your
players, so that’s going to
happen,” he said. “But also
understanding that I don’t
want to just let it rip, espe-
cially language-wise. My
kids look at me funny, and
you do have a responsibility.”
Boone added that “some
of the foul language, I’m not
real proud of.”
Yankees players praised
Boone for stepping in, with
slugger Luke Voit saying
“we appreciate it, and we
are a bunch of savages.”
The outburst was also
widely celebrated by Yan-
kees fans.
Miller was umpiring just
his fifth big league game
behind the plate. Boone
said he was impressed by
Miller’s poise through the
ordeal.
“Brennan
yesterday
I thought certainly han-
dled the situation with a lot
more class than I did, but
also I thought turned in a
really good game,” Boone
said. “I respect the job they
have to do.”
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