Simone Biles Wins Gold in Return to Competitive Gymnastics at 2023 US Classic
August 6, 2023
The GOAT still sits at the top of the mountain.
It was a triumphant return for superstar gymnast Simone Biles on Saturday night as she took home the gold at the U.S. Classic at the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
It was her first competitive meet since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and she reasserted her dominance against a loaded field that included Olympic teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Suni Lee.
"I always kind of knew [I would return], as soon as everything that happened in Tokyo," Biles told CNBC after the meet. "This time I'm doing it for me. I worked a lot on myself. I believe in myself a little bit more. It's just coming back out here and starting those first steps again."
Biles blew the rest of the competition out of the water. She finished with a score of 59.10 for the meet. The next closest score was a 54.10, put up by 19-year-old Leanne Wong.
It had been a long time coming for the seven-time Olympic medalist, who last competed 732 days ago. At the time, she withdrew from the all-around finals for mental health reasons.
She would later say she had a case of the "twisties," a sudden inability to understand her body position while she's airborne.
Biles still wound up winning bronze on the balance beam after returning for only that event.
Following the Olympics, she was mum on whether she planned on returning to gymnastics. However, that all changed earlier this year when she informed her coach, Cecile Landi, that she was interested in getting back in the game.
And after Biles married Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in the spring, the training really intensified in the lead-up to the Classic.
"She really wants it for herself," Landi said a day before the event. "She's a married woman. She's matured. She knows what she wants."
Biles showed off that desire Saturday with her unmatched combination of power, skill and grace all night. An incredible performance was highlighted by a Yurchenko double-pike on vault for her final event of the competition.
Her celebration put a cherry on top of a mesmerizing display.
She also was incredibly strong during her run at the floor routine, balance beam and uneven bars.
Now, her eyes will be locked on the national trials and an opportunity to go to the Olympics in Paris in 2024.