Simone Biles led the US to the women’s team gold at the world gymnastics in Doha on Tuesday, dominating the event to clinch victory for the fourth successive championships.
The Americans led the competition throughout and ended up winning by a comprehensive margin of almost 10 points, finishing on 171.629.
In contrast to the night before in the men’s event which went down to the very final gymnast, this felt like a victory parade from start to finish by the peerless American team.
Russia took silver, amassing a score of 162.863, edging out China who took bronze on 162.396.
China have now finished in the top three in the past six world championships at this event.
This triumph means that the last time the Americans failed to take gold in a world team event was back in 2010 in Rotterdam, when they finished in the silver medal position.
The margin of victory in Doha was the largest of their six world championship team golds.
As well as a team triumph it was yet another notable night for superstar Biles, who on the eve of the competition, was rushed to hospital with a kidney stone.
This latest gold was her 15th medal at a world championships drawing her level with Romania’s Gina Gogean, to make her the joint second highest female medal winner in championship history.
She now stands just five behind the world-record holding Svetlana Khorkina of Russia.
Biles’ victory on Tuesday earned her an 11th world gold medals – a record for any woman.
If she claims two more gold medals in Doha it will make her the first gymnast, female or male, to win 13 world titles. She is favourite to win several individual events here.
And as strong as Biles performed, another of the night’s stars was her compatriot Morgan Hurd, which potentially points to a close competition when the individual events begin later in the week.
Canada and France were just a point behind China to finish in fourth and fifth places respectively.