Vancouver’s Chiles 2nd at U.S. gymnastics championships

Consider Smith there. Polished and poised from her more sophisticated floor routine to her still-evolving beam set, Smith finished with a two-round total of 115.250, more than three points clear of Jordan Chiles, a junior at Prairie High School, in second place and Riley McCusker in third.

Chiles, who trained at Naydenov, slipped by McCusker into second thanks to a fabulous save on beam in which she turned a near disaster into something decidedly artful.

Chiles was in the middle of “wolf turn” (basically spinning on one foot while in a crouch on a 4-inch wide piece of wood) when she nearly fell over. Instead she rose to her feet, kept rotating, and went right into the next part of her routine as if it was planned all along.

“It was cool but kind of crazy,” Chiles said.

Chiles’ steadiness gives Valeri Liukin another option as he tries to put together the rest of the four-woman team that will join Smith in Montreal for the world championships in October.

Smith entered the meet as the standard bearer for the women’s program with the “Final Five” that rolled to gold in Rio de Janeiro last summer taking a break. Rather than be rattled by the pressure, she thrived in it. Even though she seized a 1.3-point lead after the preliminary round, she knew it wasn’t anywhere hear her best. She was considerably sharper less than 48 hours later, her 57.850 total in the finals was the best in the 16-woman all-around field by nearly two points.

“I just thought I had to go full out,” Smith said. “No regrets.”

And for the moment, no challengers in the U.S. and perhaps the world. Smith is a lock to make the world team and will enter as one of the favorites.

An American woman has won the world or Olympic title each of the last six years. Barring injury, Smith should be right there.

It’s a stark difference from last summer when she came from out of nowhere to nearly land an Olympic spot. No longer. She’s the one in the spotlight at the moment for the most dominant women’s program on the planet, a position she’s hardly shying away from.

“I feel like she likes this role,” Zmeskal Burdette said.

It certainly looks that way. Smith has ditched “The Addams Family” themed floor routine she used in 2016 for something a little more adult. It’s not the only part of her gymnastics that has grown up. Smith finished first on floor and beam and tied for third on bars, setting an example the rest of the field seemed to follow.

Liukin said he wasn’t alarmed following an uneven performance by the group at large during preliminaries but admitted he wanted to see something a little crisper in the finals. He got it. Eight of the women in the top 10 improved from their prelims scores on Sunday, with Smith setting the tone.

“She pulled everybody up,” Liukin said. “I’m happy with what I see now. We just need a little more time to cook. We have the talent.”

McCusker, only recently recovered from foot and wrist injuries, tried to keep the heat on Smith but stepped out of bounds following the last tumbling pass on her floor routine. Still, she finished first on bars, with her legs practically magnetized together as she elegantly made her way through her routine.

The world championship team won’t be revealed until after a selection camp in Texas next month. Smith doesn’t need to worry about her spot. It’s secure.

“She can step up and calculate better (with) her emotions,” Liukin said. “That’s what great athletes do. She’s getting there right now. This is her time.”