It wasn't even close.
Competing against some elite gymnasts with years of experience and Olympic medals on their resume, Simone Biles put up some of the best scores in her career to win her third straight P&G Championship.
Entering the second day of competition with a 1.4 point lead, Biles improved her scores on three of the four rotations on Saturday on her way to posting a two day score of 124.100, nearly five points ahead of second place finisher Maggie Nichols.
“I just keep surprising myself, I guess,” Biles said.
Biles gave some of her best stuff in this competition, posting career best scores on the balance beam, floor exercise, and vault. Her margin of victory is the second greatest since 2006. Only Jordyn Wieber's 6.15 point victory in 2011 was better. Asked if this was the best moment of her career, Biles seemed to agree, while continuing to look towards the future.
“So far, in my life, yes,” Biles said. “Hopefully, it will get better.”
Biles is the first woman to win three straight national championships since Kim Zmeskal in 1990-92.
Nichols, who finished second in the event, seemed to know the giant task she was up against, and ended up being pleased with her performance. She finished third in 2014 and looked to be a lock to be on the national team last year when an injury put her out of competition.
"I don’t really think I had a shot of beating [Biles],” Nichols said. “Standing next to her on the podium, that was an honor."
Rounding out the top five were former Olympic champion Aly Raisman, Bailie Key, who became a senior competitior earlier this year and took home the bronze in both the uneven bars and floor exercise in Indianapolis, and reigning Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas. Raisman has been steadily improving since her return to competition, finishing fifth once and third twice in three competitions. A fall off the balance beam in the first day of competition prevented Raisman's score from being better than it was.
"I still feel kind of like a little junior, like for the first time out there,” said Raisman, “It’s still pretty nerve-racking, and I still feel a little shaky."
Key was the US's best junior gymnast last season, and is coached by the previously mentioned Zmeskal, so she is expected to give the United States another medal threat in the all-around competition. Douglas struggled on the balance beam, and will return to her gym on Colombus, Ohio to work on several new routines.
The United States will take six women to the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland at the end of October, but the national team will not be announced until after the national team camp at the beginning of October. Biles is a lock to make the team, and Raisman, Nichols, Key, and Douglas are all expected to go, as well. The final spot is very much up for grabs. Former Olympic and World Champion Kyla Ross was expected to make the team, but a poor 2015, coupled with a tenth place finish at the national championships, has put her position on the team in question. Madison Kocian was the best competitor of the night on the uneven bars and gives the US a medal opportinity in that discipline, while McKayla Skinner may be the best vaulter in the world not named Simone Biles. Kocian finished 6th and Skinner 7th in the all-around competition.