EXCLUSIVE: “Simone (Biles) Is Difficult to Beat”: Gymnastics Veteran Kathy Johnson Clarke Gives Her Verdict on Olympic Trials

On June 2, 2024, Simone Biles made history yet again, becoming the first gymnast to win nine U.S. all-around titles at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. At 27, she also became the oldest woman to achieve this feat. Retired gymnastics veteran Kathy Johnson Clarke praised Biles, calling her “unmatched in so many ways.”

As Biles heads to Minneapolis for the Olympic Trials, Johnson has given her verdict to EssentiallySports on Biles’ dominance and discussed the other top contenders on par with Biles for the Paris Olympics. In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Olympic and World medalist Kathy Johnson Clarke shared her insights on Simone Biles’ biggest rivals as the senior women head to the 2024 Olympic Team Trials.

Kathy explained, “Simone is difficult to beat because of her incredibly high D-score (level of difficulty) potential on every event, which creates a significant score advantage.” She praised Simone Biles’ exceptional consistency and ability to perform under pressure, likening her to “a Teflon-coated, star-studded beast!”

Kathy also highlighted the depth of talent in U.S. gymnastics, noting that the country could yield two highly competitive teams thanks to the presence of other outstanding gymnasts. Kathy Johnson Clarke further told EssentiallySports, “There are a number of great gymnasts pushing to edge closer to Simone and are right there with her on bars (Shilese and Suni) and beam (Suni).”

Despite this strong competition, Johnson Clarke noted that Simone’s performances on vault and floor exercises were nearly unrivaled, underscoring her dominance in these events. She said, “Simone’s vault and floor are almost untouchable.” To elaborate on Kathy Johnson Clarke’s point, Simone Biles dominated at the U.S. National Championships, even winning the Uneven Bars, typically her weakest event.

On day one, she averaged an incredible score of 15 at every event—a feat never achieved before under the current scoring system. In the finals, her difficulty score of 26.2 was nearly 3 points higher than Skye Blakely’s 23.5, her closest competitor. In the vault, Biles remains untouchable. Despite falling on her Biles II (Yurchenko Double Pike) in the finals, resulting in a full point deduction, she still won the vault by nearly half a point with a difficulty score of 6.4.

Biles also dazzled on the floor, scoring 15.100—the highest score of the day. When all was said and done, she finished with a 5.9-point lead overall. As we look ahead to the 2024 Olympic Team Trials, it’s clear that Biles is in a league of her own. And reflecting on Biles’ dominance, Kathy Johnson Clarke shared her thoughts with EssentiallySports on her biggest rival heading into the Paris Olympics: Rebeca Andrade.

Kathy Johnson Clarke’s perspective on the Simone Biles vs Rebeca Andrade rivalry

At the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, one name kept Simone Biles on her toes: Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, the reigning world and Olympic vaulting champion. In the Vault finals, Biles experienced a heartbreaking fall on the Yurchenko Double Pike due to the sheer power of the move, causing her to land on her heels and fall to her back. She ended with a combined score of 14.75 for her two vaults, just 0.201 points behind Andrade, who took the gold.

Apart from this lead, what was intriguing to note was that throughout the competition, Andrade was edging close behind Biles in every event. Kathy Johnson Clarke spoke about this intense rivalry, telling EssentiallySports, “With Rebecca Andrade of Brazil pushing her every step and flip along the way, I am very excited to see Rebecca Andrade continue her impressive performances in Paris!”

Kathy Johnson Clarke’s words take us back to a heartwarming moment in Antwerp last year. After the floor exercise finals, Biles secured the gold medal, Andrade the silver, and Flavia Saraiva the bronze. In an iconic gesture, before the medals were handed out, Biles removed her crown and placed it atop Andrade’s head, symbolizing the passing of the torch to the Brazilian.

At the time, Biles shared her feelings, saying, “We had Rebeca on every single podium with me, so I feel like we give each other the best push that we can to bring out the best athletes.“ What are your reactions to Kathy Johnson Clarke’s insights shared with EssentiallySports about Simone Biles’ journey to the Paris Olympics? Share your thoughts in the comments below!