The United States gymnastics phenomenon Simone Biles will compete in an event later this year, marking her first return to competition since the Tokyo Olympics.
In a statement on Wednesday, USA Gymnastics announced that Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist and 2016 Olympic champion, would participate in the US Classic in August after a nearly two-year hiatus.“Led by a trio of Olympic gold medalists, current athlete registrations for the 2023 US Classic are loaded with Olympians, World Championships team members and international medalists,” the statement reads.Biles will be joined at the event by another Olympic all-around gold medalist, Sunisa Lee, who won the title for the US at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was held in 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions.
Biles nabbed the all-around gold in 2016, at the Olympic competition in Rio de Janeiro.
The all-around title is considered one of the most prestigious in gymnastics, as the competition tests an athlete’s skills in multiple areas, through vaults, balance beams, uneven bars and floor routines.
But during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Biles voluntarily removed herself from several events in order to focus on her mental health. She explained she had the “twisties”, a condition where gymnasts lose spacial awareness while conducting complicated jumps.
