Photo:Laurence Griffiths/Getty
Laurence Griffiths/Getty
Simone Bilesis getting back in action this summer.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist, 26, will take the mat for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics to show off her gymnastic skills at the 2023 U.S. Classic in August,USA Gymnastics announcedon Wednesday.
She is set to compete alongside fellow Olympic all-around gold medalist Sunisa Lee, 20, and 2020 Olympic floor champion Jade Carey, 23, at the event, which boasts 12 Olympic and 16 World Championships team roster members.
“It is exciting to think about the level of talent and historical legacy of the field that may compete at U.S. Classic,” USA Gymnastics Chief Programs Officer Stefanie Korepin said in a press release. “Every athlete is at a different place in their season and career, and we will support each of them, wherever they are in their journey.”
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Biles entered the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the pandemic, as the reigning Olympic all-around champion and favorite to win gold in the team, all-around and vault competitions.
However, aftermaking uncharacteristic errorsin the qualifying round including stepping out of bounds on floor and stumbling after her dismount on the balance beam, she withdrew from the women’s gymnastics team all-around final after performing on her first apparatus.
Biles later attributed her withdrawal from competition to the “twisties,” in which she lost her ability to sense her body move in the air.
She then withdrew from the individual all-around finals for vault, uneven bars and floor exercise, citing the need to “focus on her mental health.”
She returned later in the competition to win a silver medal in the team event and a bronze medal in the balance beam final. Biles has a total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals combined and is considered one of the sport’s greatest athletes of all time.
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The gymnast has not committed to competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She said on theLate Late Show with James Cordenin Sept. 2022 that she will be in attendance for the games, but is unsure whether she would participate as an athlete or an audience member. She also said that she “still has to heal mentally and physically.”
Since the Tokyo games, she’s also hit some major life milestones, tying the knot with NFL playerJonathan Owensin anintimate courthouse wedding in Aprilthen a largerceremony in Cabo San Lucasa month later.
source: people.com
