Sept. 5, 2014 – Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, Danell Leyva of Miami, Fla./Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics) and the U.S. Women’s World Championships Team, have been nominated for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s October Female and Male Athletes and Team of the Month, respectively. Fans can vote by clicking here. Voting ends Thursday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. ET.
Biles made history after winning five medals (gold in team, balance beam, floor, and all-around and silver on the vault) – the most ever by a U.S. athlete at a single world championships – at the FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, held Oct. 3-12 in Nanning, China. In the all-around final, Biles became the second American ever (Shannon Miller, 1993-94) to win back-to-back world championships all-around titles and the first woman from any country since Russian Svetlana Khorkina claimed two titles in a row in 2001 and 2003.
Leyva won the parallel bars silver medal at the FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, held Oct. 3-12 in Nanning, China. Leyva’s medal was his first at a major international event since winning the bronze medal in the all-around at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Leyva was also a crucial part of Team USA’s men’s team bronze medal, contributing hit routines on the pommel horse, parallel bars and high bar.
The U.S. women’s team of Alyssa Baumann (Plano, Texas), Biles, Madison Kocian (Dallas, Texas), Ashton Locklear (Huntersville, North Carolina), Kyla Ross (Aliso Viejo, California), MyKayla Skinner (Gilbert, Arizona), and Madison Desch (Blue Springs, Missouri) made USA Gymnastics history by winning Team USA’s second consecutive world team title at the FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, held Oct. 3-12 in Nanning, China. The U.S. won by a convincing 6.693 margin over runner-up China and is the first team to win back-to-back women’s world team titles since Romania’s string of five (1994-95, 1997, 1999 and 2001).