Simone Biles Returns to Competition with Style, Skill, and a Smile

Simone Biles felt and heard something she believed she would never experience again. She twisted. And the audience cheered.

Only at Friday's practice before Saturday's U.S. Classic, her first competition in two years and two days. But it meant that when the greatest gymnast in history jumped onto the uneven bars Saturday to begin the event and commemorate her return, she knew she could.

It's hard to imagine she won with a score of 59.1, ahead of second place by the same gap as No. 2 to No. 17, while the sold-out audience of 7,200 thundered like a Taylor Swift concert—on the same day 

 she brought at least one young gymnast to tears by saying hello. The weekend started with Biles worried about their reception.

She stated everyone's support surprises her most. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from the crowd, females, and signs on Twitter, Instagram, and in the stadium. It warmed my heart to see that people still believe in and love me.

Because it's good to come out here and have all that support, especially when I was anxious to compete again. I require nothing more.”

Biles, like she has been at every tournament she's attended for over a decade, was maybe the favorite Saturday. After the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, no one knew what to anticipate. Eventually, “the wires just snapped,” she claimed, from the strain and solitude.

Gymnasts name her condition the “twisties”—a mental block similar to the yips in golf and baseball, but affecting her ability to find herself in the air. Withdrew from event following event

Stay tuned for developments.