Simone Biles is back and better than ever in her first elite competition since the Tokyo Olympics.
On Saturday, she created an unforgettable evening in the realm of gymnastics, marking her return with remarkable achievements at the 2023 Core Hydration Classic.
Biles secured victory in the all-around, floor exercise, and beam categories.
The distinguished athlete, who boasts an impressive collection of 32 Olympic and World Championships medals, also clinched a bronze medal in the uneven bars and showcased a spectacular vault performance.
This competition marked her triumphant comeback after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, taking place at the NOW Arena during the 2023 Core Hydration Classic.
She’s back and better than ever.
Biles’ performance throughout the night followed a crescendo-like trajectory, with each apparatus she competed in witnessing an increase in her scores.
Any initial nerves she might have had were swiftly dispelled as she commenced with a strong showing on the uneven bars, earning a score of 14.000.
Transitioning to the beam, her flawless routine garnered a score of 14.800, followed by an electrifying floor exercise that earned her a remarkable 14.900 points.
“Everything has fallen into place,” Biles said.
“I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically. I still think there are some things to work on… but for my first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I’m very shocked, surprised, so I’m just happy. I feel a lot better now that that that’s out of the way.”
During the preceding week, the champion of the 2016 Olympic all-around competition took to social media to reveal that, historically, bars had posed the greatest challenge for her when returning to the sport after a hiatus.
But this time, she indicated that the focus has shifted to mastering the art of twisting.
“Mainly because when the twisties happen, you go right into the gym and work on it…,” Biles said in an Instagram story Q&A. “I took over a year off and then came back, so I was petrified. But I’m fine. I’m twisting again. No worries. All is good.”
She sure looked more than fine there!
Biles is dominant and consistent. Two traits very rare in athletes, so this is really something special.
She’s had to deal with her own issues but Biles set her mind and body to it, and look at how she’s overcome the odds.
Biles began with a big move called a full-twisting double layout, showing a lot of power that made her bounce a bit at the end, but she stayed inside the boundary.
Then, she did a nearly perfect front flip with a full twist to a double backflip, and followed that with a move called a double layout half, which is also known as the Biles I, though she missed a small part called the stag due to a little slip.
To finish, she did another double layout. The judges gave her a score of 14.900 – 6.8 for difficulty and 8.1 for how well she did it – giving us just a taste of how skilled she really is.
This was just a preview of what she’s capable of.
Watch her incredible 2 minute routine below!
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