The return of Simone Biles: she will reappear after 24 months in a tournament in the United States

On August 3, 2021, Simone Biles competed for the last time. Although the image of her retirement due to mental health issues in the team final of the Tokyo Olympic Games is the one that remained in the collective memory, the truth is that days after that episode Biles reappeared and competed in the balance beam final. She won the bronze medal.

Strangely enough, it will have been exactly 24 months when, on August 4th, the All Around Rio 2016 Olympic champion returns to compete in the US Classic.

The gymnast was not the one who confirmed the return, but it was the United States Gymnastics Federation (US Gymnastics) that published the announcement of the tournament on social media, with a poster that has her as the protagonist, along with fellow Olympic champions Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey.

The US Classic is one of the most important events on the annual American gymnastics calendar and usually serves as a set-up for the nationals, which this year will take place at the end of August in San José, California.

A little more than a year before the Paris Olympic Games, speculation is set on her possible presence at the Paris Bercy stadium in the French capital. The curious fact is that Biles should not seek the Olympic place internationally, but that her path must be focused on domestic competition in her country. This is because the United States has already secured its presence at the next Olympic Games with a full team thanks to the title won at the Liverpool 2022 World Cup. Therefore, the challenge for Biles and the rest of the candidates will be to be able to join that quintet that will travel to France for the big event.

The latest news about Simone Biles had more to do with her personal life than sports. The gymnast shared on her social media every detail of her wedding, held in April, with the American football player Jonathan Owens. She was never shown training, but some rumors began to spread on social media because she had been seen “in the background” in training videos of one of her club mates. Finally, the confirmation arrived: Biles was not only training, but she will also be competing again.

Regarding her possible retirement after Tokyo 2020, the seven-time Olympic medalist had been responsible for responding to a fan on Twitter that she hadn’t left the sport, but was “taking care of her mental health”.

At 26, Biles begins to outline a possible third Olympic participation in Paris 2024. In a sport historically associated with girls, this would be another of her legacy in gymnastics. Staying competitive for three Olympic cycles (12 years) is another factor to consider it the best of all time. Sports fans are already excited about the more mature version of Simone Biles, returning to gymnastics in peace and with the joy of doing the sport she loves.