Simone Biles is one of gymnastics’ biggest stars and will return to the competitive stage in August after a nearly two-year absence, officials announced Wednesday.
US Classic organizers revealed that four-time gold medal winner Biles will compete in the upcoming event. The US Classic is scheduled to begin on August 5 in suburban Chicago.
Biles has been out of sanctioned events since the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics. During those Olympics, which took place in 2021, Biles raised awareness about the mental health battles some athletes face.
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Simone Biles of the United States performs on the balance beam during the women’s artistic gymnastics apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics on August 3, 2021 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Biles rose to fame after her dazzling performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, taking home gold medals in the team all-around, individual all-around, vault and floor exercises. He also won a bronze medal on the balance beams.
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She was one of the brightest stars on Team USA heading to the Tokyo Games, but shocked the sports world when she announced her withdrawal from the team finals due to the emotional toll the Games had taken on her.
His decision shifted the focus of the Games to the welfare of the athletes.
American gymnast Simone Biles poses with her bronze medal in the artistic gymnastics women’s balance beam apparatus at the 2020 Summer Olympics on August 3, 2021 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
She served as a cheerleader when her American teammates won the team silver medal and then sat out the all-around, vault, and floor finals she had qualified for while dealing with what are known as «the twisties», a gymnastics term for when an athlete loses. spatial awareness when she is in the air.
Biles returned for the balance beam final, where she won a bronze medal that tied Shannon Miller’s record for most Olympic medals by an American gymnast.
Simone Biles of the United States prepares to begin her performance on the balance beam during the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus Final at the 2020 Summer Olympics on August 3, 2021 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Biles has kept most of her social media channels gym-free for the past two months. Instead, she has used the platforms to highlight snippets of his personal life.
She headlined a post-Olympic tour in the fall of 2021 and married NFL player Jonathan Owens, now a defensive back for the Green Bay Packers, in the spring.
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While it’s unclear if Biles will seek to make a third Olympic team, her return to the sport she’s dominated for nearly a decade suggests she’s taking a step in that direction.
Making three Olympic teams as an American gymnast is no small feat. Dominique Dawes (1992, 1996 and 2000) is the only American woman in the last 50 years to be selected for three Olympic teams.
Associated Press contributed to this report.