Simone Biles to return to competition in August for first meet since Tokyo Games
Biles last competed in the summer of 2021
Don't call it a comeback. Simone Biles has been here for years.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist and gymnastics superstar will return to competition at the U.S. Classic on Aug. 5 at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
She headlines an entry list that also features Sunisa Lee, who won gold in the all-around final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and has spent the last two years competing at Auburn.
Biles, 26, spent most of the last two years away from elite gymnastics after she removed herself from five of six finals at the Tokyo Games. The move was pivotal in shaping the conversation surrounding athletes and mental health at the time.
After qualifying, she missed the all-around vault and floor exercise finals as she dealt with "the twisties," a dangerous gymnastics phenomenon that marks an athlete's inhibited spacial awareness while airborne.
Biles was seen supporting as America won the team silver and returned to win a bronze medal in the balance beam final. That showing brought her career Olympic medal tally to seven, tying Shannon Miller’s record for most Olympic medals by an American female gymnast.
With the final routine behind her, Biles said she was "keeping the door open," for a possible return at the 2024 Olympics. First, she mentioned that she needed time to absorb everything she'd been through — including her aunt dying unexpectedly during the Tokyo Games.
"I think I have to relish and take this Olympics in, and kind of recognize what I've done with my career because after 2016, I didn't get to do that. Life just happens so quickly and now I have a greater appreciation for life after everything that's happened in the last five years," Biles said.
Since then, Biles headlined a post-Olympics Gold over America Tour — aka GOAT — in which she incorporated mental health advocacy. She also married Green Bay Packers defensive back Jonathan Owens this spring.
The U.S. Classic typically offers national champions an opportunity to warm up for the season ahead, a fan favorite event for USA Gymnastics fans.
It will also represent a return of sorts for Lee, who missed the second half of her sophomore year with the Tigers while dealing with health issues. She is aiming for the Olympics, this time in hopes to win gold on uneven bars instead of defending her all-around title.
