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The GOAT still sits at the top of the mountain.
It was a triumphant return for superstar gymnast Simone Biles on Saturday night as she took home the gold at the US Classic at the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
It was her first competitive meet since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and she reasserted her dominance against a loaded field that included Olympic teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Suni Lee.
“I always kind of knew (I would return), as soon as everything that happened in Tokyo,” Biles told NBC after the meet. “This time I’m doing it for me. I worked a lot on myself. I believe in myself a little bit more. It’s just coming back out here and starting those first steps again.”
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What a moment for Simone Biles! 💜
The smile says it all. pic.twitter.com/IpyuXjnyOx
Biles basically blew the rest of the competition out of the water, as one would expect. She finished with a score of 59.10 for the meet. The next closest score was a 54.10 put up by 19-year-old Leanne Wong.
It had been a longtime coming for the seven-time Olympic medalist, who last competed 732 days ago at the Tokyo Olympics. At the time, she withdrew from the all-around finals for mental health reasons and shocked the world in the process.
She would later reveal that she was dealing with a case of the “twisties”, a sudden inability to understand her body position while she’s airborne.
Biles still wound up winning bronze on the balance beam after returning for only that event.
Following the Olympics, Biles was mum on whether she planned on returning to gymnastics or if she was calling it a career. However, that all changed earlier this year when she informed her coach, Cecile Landi, that she was interested in getting back in the game.
And after she got married to Green Bay Packers’ safety Jonathan Owens in the spring, the training really intensified in the lead up to the Classic.
“She really wants it for herself,” Landi said Friday. “She’s a married woman. She’s matured. She knows what she wants.”
Biles showed off that desire Saturday with her unmatched combination of power, skill and grace all night long. An incredible performance was highlighted by a Yurchenko double-pike on vault for her final event of the competition.
Just putting a perfect cherry on top of an already mesmerizing display.
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SIMONE BILES WITH THE BEST CELEBRATION!
📺: @CNBC and @Peacock pic.twitter.com/xumNDPrWpt
She also was incredibly strong during her run at the floor routine, balance beam and uneven bars.
Now, her eyes will be locked on the national trials and an opportunity to go to the Olympics in Paris in 2024.
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