HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Once again, at long last, Simone Biles strode into an arena Saturday night. She flipped and flew and, perhaps most importantly, twisted. She was dominant, and she smiled. It looked like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
"Did it look like I was having fun? Oh thank God," Biles said afterward. "I thought I was going to (expletive) bricks, but that's good."
Yes, the proverbial GOAT of U.S. gymnastics is officially back.
Two years after bowing out of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health issues, Biles made her competitive return at the U.S. Classic in a suburb of Chicago on Saturday night. And, to the surprise of no one, she began her comeback tour with a win.
In front of a packed crowd and a flock of NBC television cameras, Biles ran away from a field in which several of her closest U.S. rivals − including Olympic teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Suni Lee − competed in only some of the four events. Her all-around score of 59.10 was a full five points clear of runner-up Leanne Wong − and more than two points higher than the total with which Brazil's Rebeca Andrade claimed the 2022 world championship.
"I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically," Biles said. "I still think there are some things to work on, (mistakes) throughout the night in my routines. But for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well."
