In pictures: Superstar gymnast Simone Biles

Many consider American gymnast Simone Biles to be the greatest gymnast of all time.

Now, she has the record that might prove it.

Biles won the women's all-around at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships on Friday, October 6 — her 21st gold at the world championships. By winning gold, she became the most decorated female or male gymnast ever, surpassing Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo's record of 33 overall medals across both the Olympics and the world championships.

Over the past few years, Biles has astounded us with never-before-seen moves; there are now five signature skills named after her. At this year's world championships, she became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault in international competition.

Biles was the 2016 Olympic champion in the individual all-around, but she did not defend her title five years later in Tokyo. She withdrew from the competition, citing mental-health concerns, which also took her out of the team event. She later explained she had "the twisties," a mental block in gymnastics where competitors lose track of their positioning midair. She also skipped finals in the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise.

Biles finished her Olympics on a high note, however, winning bronze in the balance beam and tying Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals ever won by an American gymnast. They each have won seven.

Biles, who had not competed since the Olympics, returned to competition in August 2023 and won a record eighth national all-around title.