Two years and two days after her last competition, Simone Biles is back and better than ever.
She easily surpassed all competition in the US Classic, the last qualifying event for the US championships later this month. And her final move was a Yurchenko double pike vault, which no other woman has landed in competition. (If she lands it in international competition, it'll be named the Biles — the fifth move to be named after her).
SIMONE BILES WITH THE BEST CELEBRATION!
📺: @CNBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/xumNDPrWpt— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2023
Finishing first in the vault, floor, all-around, and balance beam, and third in the uneven bars, Biles' overall score was 59.1, an astonishing five points above second place finisher Leanne Wong, who won the event last year. By comparison, Rebecca Andrade won the World Championships last year with 56.899 — and Biles has yet to perform her hardest routines again.
What a moment for Simone Biles! 💜
The smile says it all. pic.twitter.com/IpyuXjnyOx— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2023
It's an inspiring comeback for Biles, who withdrew from competition in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics after suffering from the "twisties," a mental health condition that causes gymnasts to lose their orientation in midair.
Since then Biles, now 26, has become known as a mental health advocate, and been open about her own journey and attending therapy. She's also gotten married, to NFL player Jonathan Owens. It was unclear if she would ever return to gymnastics.
But Biles has said she started "playing around" again in the gym last fall — only starting serious training this year, and intensifying that just three months ago after her wedding.
"I really feel like [coach] Laurent [Landi] is always one step ahead of me."
Seven-time Olympic medallist @Simone_Biles breaks down her return to competition after a spectacular debut Saturday at the U.S. Classic.@USAGym | #CoreClassic pic.twitter.com/44j9DlDYr5— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 6, 2023
That her return has been so fast is yet another astonishing accomplishment for Biles.
So is Paris the goal? Biles has said her focus is on the US Championships, "and then after that we'll look onto worlds and then we'll see, but so far it's heading in the right direction."
"But I still have to work on myself, I'm still going to therapy, I'm still going to put myself first."
