If you’re a gymnast training for the 2024 Paris Olympics, it looks like you better double up on the training time as seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles is officially returning to competition.
USA Gymnastics announced that she has registered for the U.S. Classic, which takes place Aug. 4-5 in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The U.S. Classic is a major event for American gymnasts, as it’s usually the last big warm-up before the U.S. Championships. In an Olympic year, it allows USA Gymnastics to begin its process of choosing an Olympic team.
Biles has not competed since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics—held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic—where she suffered from “the Twisties,” which causes gymnasts to lose track of their surroundings while in the air. She withdrew from several events, including the team and all-around competitions. She ended up earning a bronze medal in the balance beam.
In the two years since her last competition, Simone has stayed busy by advocating for mental health awareness for athletes, as well as continuing to fight alongside her fellow survivors in a lawsuit against the FBI accusing the agency of mishandling the sexual assault investigation of Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics. In July 2022, she became the youngest recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And if that wasn’t enough, she married NFL player Jonathan Owens.
In her absence, athletes like Konnor McClain, Shilese Jones and Jordan Chiles have followed in her footsteps. Chiles, along with 2020 all-around gold medalist Suni Lee, are also announced for the U.S. Classic.
Biles has not made any official announcements about the 2024 Paris Olympics, but entering the Classic certainly sends a very loud message to the rest of the gymnastics world. In the past, we’ve seen athletes come back after a lengthy absence and it doesn’t usually work out for them. Even for someone as accomplished as Biles, it’s not a simple task to jump back into competing at the highest level. The reason these athletes are as good as they are is because they spend all of their time training. Once you stop, asking your body to resume that level of commitment is difficult.
Although she’s only 26 years old, that’s like 80 in gymnastics years, so it will be interesting to see if she can still pull off the gravity-defying moves she’s famous for. Honestly, I don’t need to see her dominating the podium, although that would be great. As a fan, I’m just excited to see her commanding the floor exercise and doing vaults that are so wild, they’re named after her. Say it one more time y’all! Simone Biles is back!