US gymnastics star Simone Biles Owens has made her comeback after a two-year break from competition. The four-time Olympic champion started at the US Classics in Chicago and immediately won the all-around.
The 26-year-old competed in her last competition to date in July 2021 at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. After a blackout on the vault, she had abandoned the final of the team competition. Biles made mental problems public at the time and therefore missed several starts, but then still got the bronze medal on the balance beam. She and football pro Jonathan Owens got married in April.
“Very overwhelmed and surprised”
“I think the evening went really well, I’m very overwhelmed and surprised,” said the 26-year-old record world champion: “Everything came together. I’m very happy with where I’m at right now, mentally and physically. There are still “There are a few things in the procedures that I need to work on. But for the first competition, it was pretty good.”
The star gymnast was one of hundreds of gymnasts and their parents who had sued former American team doctor Larry Nassar for sexual abuse. Since then, she has spoken openly about her emotional distress. After the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Biles had already ended a two-year break from competition in Chicago in 2018.
In her career to date, the US gymnast has won 25 medals at World Championships and seven Olympic medals. The US Classic serves as a qualifier for the national championships, which will be held in San Jose at the end of August this year.
Biles did not reveal anything about her further plans on Saturday. Starts are expected in San Jose and at the World Championships in Antwerp (September 30th to October 8th). An Olympic participation in Paris (July 26 to August 11, 2024) would be logical.