By: Mia Wang

Simone Biles, the most accolated American gymnast, finally returned to the sport after stepping away following the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo because of mental health issues. She made her comeback in the U.S. Classic on Saturday, August 5. Without a surprise, she secured the win.

Simone’s gymnastic career was initiated when she was just in preschool. She went on a field trip to a gym and was spotted by a coach that worked there. She was imitating the feats of girls in their teens. The coach “wrote a note to the family suggesting that the child take regular gymnastic classes.” (Achievement). She began competing at six.

After being added to the U.S. Junior National Team in 2012, she racked up many more achievements: she became the first woman to win three-straight world all-around titles and dominated at the Rio Olympics. Simone was also deemed to have the most titles out of all U.S. female all-around champions, topping Clara Schroth Lombardy who previously held the crown with six titles. On July 7, 2022, Biden awarded Simone with the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Simone, at 25, is the youngest person to receive this medal.

During the U.S. Classic on August 5, Simone placed first in the all-around, vault, floor routing, and balance beam. She placed third on the uneven bars. Biles looked in control, polished, relaxed, and confident as if she was never gone. Leanne Wong was five points behind Biles; the margin between the first and second was equivalent to the margin between second and seventeenth. This was considered normal by Simone’s standards but is definitely not normal compared to anyone else’s standards.

Everyone is so glad that Simone has returned to gymnastics after her hiatus. Everyone hopes she will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, when asked whether she would participate or not, she said, “so far it’s heading in the right direction. But I still have to work on myself, I’m still going to do my therapy, I’m still going to put myself first.” (CNN).