Simone Biles wins record 13th world title
November 2, 2018![Simone Biles](https://static.dw.com/image/46135038_800.webp)
Superstar Simone Biles became the first ever gymnast to win 13 world championship gold medals with victory in the individual vault competition in Qatar on Friday.
The 21-year-old American broke the all-time record set by Belarusian male gymnast Vitaly Scherbo in 1996, a year before Biles was born.
It was Biles' third gold medal of the week so far in Doha and she is halfway to a possible sweep of six gold medals at these championships.
This was also her 17th world championship medal overall, which means she is just three shy of the all-time record of 20, held by Russia's Svetlana Khorkina.
Favorite to take gold in the event, she received a mark of 15.366, well ahead of second-placed Shallon Olsen from Canada, who finished on 14.516. Bronze went to Mexico's Alexa Moreno, with 43-year-old Oksana Chusovitina in fourth.
Biles has another chance of a gold medal later on Friday in the uneven bars event.
mds/pfd (AFP, AP)