Four-time Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles made a triumphant return to competition on Saturday by winning the US Classic after a two-year hiatus.
For her first competition since the Tokyo Olympics, Biles electrified the audience in Chicago with a stunning performance, earning a total of 59.100 points in the all-around.
The 19-time world championship gold medalist started the event on the uneven bars, where she scored 14.000 points, the third highest score.
The 26-year-old American star then took first place on beam (14.800 points).
On the ground, the crowd applauded each move of his impressive routine, rewarded with a score of 14.900, the best of the competition.
She finished with a masterful passage on the jump, also obtaining the best score (15.400 points) with a performance whose height and impeccable landing betrayed nothing of her long absence.
“It was a great feeling, especially after everything that happened last year,” commented Biles, who opted out of attempting the riskiest tricks for his comeback.
Leanne Wong, 19, was second at 54.100 and Joscelyn Roberson, 17, third at 54.050.
Simone Biles has yet to announce whether she plans to compete in the Paris Olympics next year, but the US Classic in Chicago could be a first step in that direction.
This competition is the last chance to qualify for the US National Championships which will be held August 24-27 in San Jose, Calif.
“We are still working on it,” replied the American, when asked about the Paris Olympics. “My main objective was that (the US Classic), then the (national) championships, and after that we will plan for the worlds (in October in Antwerp), then we will see”.
Simone Biles used the US Classic to make her return to competition in 2018 after a long break following the Rio Olympics, where she won four gold medals.
At the 2021 Games in Japan, the American withdrew from most events for mental health and safety reasons.
She had successively given up team competition, all-around, vault, uneven bars and floor, leaving the Olympic scene far from her initial ambitions, despite a bronze medal on the beam.
Biles’ decision to retire from competition had helped bring to the fore the subject of the mental health of top athletes.
The planetary star, whose aura goes far beyond gymnastics, explained that he had experienced an attack of “twisties”, dangerous loss of bearings in space exposing athletes to the risk of injury when they land.
After confirming her return last month, she said she is still undergoing therapy to help her “manage the mental aspect” of her daily life.
“So far we are going in the right direction but I still have to work on myself. I still have to go to my therapy. I will think of myself first,” she explained.
“All those who supported me, who had made posters, all that in the public, it melted my heart to know that they still believe in me”.