Simone Biles Returning to Competition at U.S. Classic; 1st Meet Since Tokyo Olympics

For the first time in two years, legendary American gymnast Simone Biles is set to return to competitive gymnastics.

According to Will Graves of the Associated Press, USA Gymnastics announced Wednesday that the seven-time Olympic medalist will compete in the U.S. Classic on Aug. 5 in the Chicago area.

It will mark Biles' first foray back into competitive gymnastics since the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which actually took place in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 26-year-old Biles won gold in the team event, all-around, vault and floor exercise at the 2016 Olympics, and she was expected to have a similar haul at the 2020 Games.

Between the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, Biles won two world championship gold medals in the team event, all-around, vault and floor exercise, establishing herself as the unquestioned top gymnast in the world and one of the all-time greats.

Things did not go according to plan in Tokyo, though, as Biles dealt with a bout of the "twisties," which is a phenomenon in which gymnasts lose their sense of direction and feeling in the air.

Biles struggled and decided to sit out some of her scheduled Olympic events in order to focus on her mental health, including the all-around.

She still won a silver medal as part of the team event, though, and managed to return for her final individual event, winning bronze on the balance beam.

Biles has largely stayed out of the gymnastics spotlight since then, but returning at the U.S. Classic could be a sign that she intends to try to make the American team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Graves noted that Biles similarly took two years off after the 2016 Summer Olympics before returning at the 2018 U.S. Classic, which set the stage for her to compete in Tokyo.

Biles has not publicly committed to the Paris Olympics, but a strong performance in the U.S. Classic could pave the way for her to also compete in the national championships in San Jose, California, in late August.

Joining Biles at the U.S. Classic will be Sunisa Lee, who won gold in the Olympic all-around in 2020 and has competed collegiately at Auburn since then.