Gymnastics: Simone Biles returns with US Classic overall win after two-year break
Sunday, 6 August 2023 (15:32 IST)
US gymnast Simone Biles won the country's Core Hydration US Classic on Saturday, after a two-year competition hiatus since the Tokyo Olympics.
A four-time Olympic gold medalist, Biles impressed fans by performing difficult and complicated moves, including a double-flipping vault never before performed by a female gymnast. She won with an all-around score of 59.100.
"It felt really good, especially after everything that has happened over the past year," said Biles, who was married earlier this year. "I got back out here and I did what I was training so I'm very happy with the result."
The 26-year-old had taken a year off from the sport. Nevertheless, she won on Saturday with top scores on the vault, floor exercise and balance beam, while ranking third on the uneven bars.
Tokyo Olympics exit
Biles made headlines when she abruptly withdrew from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, as a gold medal hope in several disciplines for the US after her dominant displays in 2016. She'd return to pick up an individual bronze and team silver late in the tournament.
"I have to do what's right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and my wellbeing," she said at the time after her team were beaten to the gold medal by the Russian quartet.
Biles had struggled at the Games with the "twisties," a disorienting feeling of losing balance while the gymnast is in mid-air, which leaves them at a greater risk of injury when landing.
The gymnast has yet to formally announce whether she intends to compete in next year's Paris Olympics, though many interpreted her return on Saturday as a positive sign, even before her overall triumph in Chicago.
