Next stop Tokyo for Simone Biles. With Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, both retired since last Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, U.S. gymnast will be face of games for much of world. In gymnastics, one else comes close. Biles won five of six gold medals at last week's world championships and broke all-time record of 25 medals by any gymnast, male or female.
"She's just above anything else that we have seen in sport," five-time Olympic gold medalist Nadia Comaneci said of Biles on Sunday, praising " domination that she has toward all or gymnasts that competed here."

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Praises and mixed comments for Biles' talent

Biles has t just got talent. She's got character of an Olympic star. re's laser-like focus on training, same easygoing humor which endeared world to Bolt, and - crucially in modern era - a savvy social-media style. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Sunday that Biles' star status would make gymnastics a must-see event at Tokyo Olympics. "You can have legends confirming ir status as we have just seen with Simone Biles, this amazing performance re on beam, but you also have new stars," he said. "Gymnastics has all ingredients to be top ar time, I must say. A top Olympic event in Tokyo." Despite its dispute with Biles over scoring for her new double-double beam dismount - its grade was lessened in part so as t to encour less-skilled gymnasts to attempt risky move - International Gymnastics Federation kws Biles is crucial to sport.

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Labeling her "wonder woman" and "a hero," FIG president Morinari Watanabe is keen for Biles t to retire after Tokyo Olympics. "I hope she will continue after 2020 because she is an excellent athlete," he said Sunday. Biles is certainly only athlete who could pull off her look in training at U.S. nationals in August. She caused a stir with a leotard bearing her surname and a goat's head picked out in sequins, a d to "Greatest Of All Time." Few disagree, but Biles hasn't yet won everyone over.

"re's need to turn her into some unbeatable queen. If I was 15 years younger, I'd definitely take fight to American," Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina said in comments on Russian Olympic Committee website Thursday.

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Biles' contenders and her preparation

Khorkina won 20 world championship medals between 1994 and 2001 and held women's record until Biles overtook her Tuesday. One record is likely to remain out of Biles' reach, however. Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina won a record 15 Olympic medals between 1956 and 1964. Biles won five Olympic medals in Rio de Janeiro, and could add six more next year in Tokyo, but appears highly unlikely to stick around until 2024 Olympics. However, re's ar record to aim for. Matching her world championship performance from last week would make Biles first female gymnast to win five gold medals at a single Olympics, and first female athlete to do so in any sport since East German swimmer Kristin Otto in 1988. After Biles pioneered a new beam dismount and triple-double on floor this season, her coach Laurent Landi says he favors refining her existing routines for Olympics over adding yet more upgrades.

"I can find plenty of (upgrades), but you need to be realistic and only medals count at end," he said. "We don't need to show off everything we can do."

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