Simone Biles has returned to competitive gymnastics in style. In June, Biles announced that she would be competing at the U.S Classic, also known as the Core Hydration Classic, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It marked the first time Biles had competed since taking a bronze medal in the beam event at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Earlier in that tournament, Biles had withdrawn from the Team All-Around after suffering from the "Twisties". After the tournament, Biles announced she would be taking an extended hiatus from competition.
Biles chose not to speak with the media on the August 4 training day but waved at fans and appeared in good spirits as she joked with teammates. The US Classic serves as the final qualifier for the US Gymnastics Championships that are due to be held later this month in San Jose. It is believed that Biles’ ultimate goal is to rejoin the US Olympic Team. This would see Biles head to the 2024 Olympics. The games are are set to take place less than a year from today in Paris, France. Despite being away from the sport for two years, Biles wasted no time in dominating the competition.
Biles Wins Three Gold Medals, Loses $200
Biles came away from the event with four medals - three gold and one bronze. Throughout proceedings on August 5, Biles showed just how little her time away from the sport had affected her. She won the All-Around gold by 5 points, a wild result in a sport measured in tenths of a point. Elsewhere, she picked up golds in the beam and floor events as well, while taking bronze in the uneven bars. Biles will now shift her attention to the aforementioned US Championships later this month. Furthermore, she will likely look to compete athe World Championships in Belgium at the end of September.
However, Biles didn't win everything during the event. Biles will come away from the event $200 poorer after losing a bet to Zoe Miller, the uneven bars champion. The 17-year-old, who is set to join the prestigious LSU gymnastics team when she heads to college, twerked for the audience after completing her gold medal uneven bars routine. It appears that Biles had bet Miller on whether she would do the dance after her routine. I just lost $200 to @_.zoemiller for doing that dance celebration,” Biles posted to her Instagram. “OMG OKAY GIRL," the caption continued.
[via]