Simone Biles wins 20th World Gymnastics gold by leading USA to team title

Biles has already qualified for the women’s all-around final in first place, as well as reaching the finals on all four pieces of apparatus.

Simone Biles led the USA to the team title in Antwerp (AP Photo/Geert vanden Wijngaert) (AP)

Simone Biles won her 20th World Gymnastics Championships gold medal as the United States secured victory in the women’s team final in Antwerp.

Marking her return to major international competition after a two-year absence, the 26-year-old led her team to a record seventh straight title ahead of silver medallists Brazil and third-placed France.

Biles has already qualified for the women’s all-around final in first place, as well as reaching the finals on all four pieces of apparatus.

Great Britain, who had qualified in second place and had high hopes of making the podium, endured a number of early falls which effectively ruled them out of contention.

The team, comprising Jessica Gadirova, Ondine Achampong, Alice Kinsella, Georgia-Mae Fenton and 16-year-old debutant Ruby Evans, finished sixth with a total of 161.864.

Kinsella, the former European champion on beam, admitted: “I think we’ll learn a lot from today.

“We still enjoyed it but we know we could have done more. We fought it to the end as a team that’s the main thing. We’re disappointed but we’ll bounce back.”