Biles is first to win four all-around titles at worlds
Simone Biles won her fourth world all-around championship at the world championships in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, surviving a series of uncharacteristic mistakes to become the first woman to earn four all-around titles.
Biles had a score of 57.491, nearly 1.7 points in front of silver medalist Mai Murakami of Japan. American teammate Morgan Hurd was third.
Dealing with a kidney stone, Biles sat down her vault in the first rotation, came off the beam on her third and stepped out of bounds on floor exercise.
“It’s not the gymnast that I am, to go out there and kind of bomb a meet like this,” said Biles after posting an allaround score of 57.491. “Even though I won, I wish it were a little bit different.”
Colleges: McKenzie Milton threw for 312 yards and three scores to help No. 9 Central Florida top visiting Temple 52-40 to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 21 games. Taj McGowan scored on runs of 1 and 10 yards, the latter finishing a long drive that put the Knights up by nine points after the Owls rallied to nearly tie the score.
The chairman of the University System of Maryland board of regents resigned following the furor over the board’s decision to reinstate football coach DJ Durkin despite the death of a player who collapsed on the practice field and died of heatstroke. The board’s decision to reinstate Durkin on Tuesday drew harsh criticism from students, players and state politicians. As a result, university President Wallace Loh fired Durkin on Wednesday. On Thursday, board chairman James Brady stepped down.
Golf: Peter Uihlein topped the leaderboard at 8-under-par 63 in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, with Jordan Spieth three strokes back in his season debut. Uihlein birdied six of his final nine holes. Seth Reeves shot 64, finishing the par-5 ninth after the horn sounded suspending play because of darkness . ... So Yeon Ryu shot a 7-under 65 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Japan Classic in Shiga. WNBA: Players opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement that runs through October 2021. The current CBA is still in effect for next season, but the move allows the union to start negotiating a new one now.
Tennis: Roger Federer’s bid for a 100th career title remains on track as he beat Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Paris Masters quarterfinals. Novak Djokovic is chasing a record-extending fifth Paris Masters title and advanced toward that when Damir Dzumhur retired trailing 6-1, 2-1. Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori, Alexander Zverev, Karen Khachanov, Jack Sock and Dominic Thiem also made the quarterfinals.
Soccer: Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew earned wins in the Major League Soccer playoffs. Salt Lake beat Los Angeles FC 3-2 in Los Angeles, and the visiting Crew and D.C. United tied 2-2, with Columbus advancing on penalties. United’s Wayne Rooney was stopped on a shootout attempt in his MLS playoff debut.
Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez was awarded Major League Soccer’s Golden Boot following a record 31-goal season.
Usain Bolt’s bid to become a pro soccer player in Australia has ended with the sprinter rejecting a $110,000 contract offer from the Central Coast Mariners.
Obituary: Paul Zimmerman, the longtime Sports Illustrated writer known as “Dr. Z,” died at age 86. He briefly played football at Stanford.
Courts: Stanford alum Justin Wayne, a pitcher on the Marlins’ team that won the 2003 World Series, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for taking part in an insurance scam.