Simone Biles returned to gymnastics for the first time since suffering from "twisties" at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021; it was the perfect comeback for the 26-year-old as she dominated the women's all-round competition at the US Classic in Chicago on Saturday
Sunday 6 August 2023 09:31, UK
Simone Biles made a winning return to gymnastics after a two-year break from the sport as she won the US Classic in Chicago.
Biles competed in the all-round event and finished with a score of 59.100, five points more than second place athlete Leann Wong.
She posted the best score on three of four apparatus in her first competition since the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The Classic is considered a warm-up for the US Championships later this month, which precede the World Championships at the end of September and next year's Olympics in Paris.
"I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically," said Biles. "I think the night went really well. It's kind of what we practise in the gym and we had a mock meet Saturday.
"I went to camp just recently, so everything has fallen into place. I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically. I still think there are some things to work on throughout the night in my routines.
"But for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I'm very very shocked, surprised. So I'm just, I'm happy, I feel a lot better now that that's out of the way."
In 2021, Biles suffered from a phenomenon known as the "twisties" during the Tokyo Olympics, which forced the gymnastics superstar to pull out of multiple events. The condition is characterised as a temporary struggle with spatial awareness.
During her two-year-long break, she announced she would be working on her mental health, and in that time has given evidence to Congress over the abuse she suffered at the hands of disgraced doctor Larry Nassar.
Biles, who also married former NFL star Jonathan Owens during her break, isn't looking ahead to next year's Olympics yet as she eases herself back into competitive gymnastics.
"Right now, I think I should just embrace what happened today, be happy for me, for my team-mates. We'll go into championships in a couple of weeks, work on those tweaks that we had today," she explained.
"But I'm in a really good spot and who knows? I'm not going to think so far ahead. I know everybody is just like when you get married, they ask you when you're having a baby, you come to Classic. They're asking you about the Olympics. I think we're just trying to take it one step at a time. We'll see."
