Topline
Organizers of the U.S. Classic said Wednesday that Simone Biles, the gymnastics superstar who hasn’t competed since she walked out on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after struggling with her mental health, will participate in the U.S. Classic this August.
Simone Biles of the USA reacts after finishing her her performance on balance beam during the … [+]
Key Facts
Biles will compete in the single-day event on Aug. 5 in Illinois, USA Gymnastics said, competing against Olympic hopefuls Jade Carey, Skye Blakely, Jordan Chiles and Leanne Wong.
The U.S. Classic is a qualifier for Nationals, which are used alongside the U.S. Olympic Trials—to be held next June in Minneapolis—to select the nation’s Olympic team.
Biles, who was favored to win at least four gold medals in 2021, last competed at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo before she withdrew from most of the competition and brought worldwide attention to the mental health struggles faced by athletes.
Key Background
Biles, 26, is tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast and, with 25 World Championship medals, is the most decorated gymnast in the history of the Gymnastics World Championships. She won four gold medals at the Rio DeJaneiro Olympics in 2016 and was set to perform similarly in Tokyo when she dropped out after experiencing “the twisties,” a balance issue experienced by gymnasts while flipping. The move saw her labeled as a “quitter” by some who slammed her for withdrawing from team competition—the U.S. won the silver medal without her—but many other athletes praised her willingness to prioritize mental health over performance.
What We Don’t Know
If Biles is angling for a spot on the 2024 Paris Olympic Team. The U.S. Women’s gymnastics team officially qualified for the Paris Olympics last November after it won gold in the team final of the 2022 World Championships. That team consisted of Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, both of whom medaled in Tokyo, Leanne Wong, Shilese Jones and Skye Blakely. Since then, Gabby Douglas has said she will make a return to the sport and hopes to qualify for the 2024 Olympic games. Douglas last competed in the 2016 Olympics with Biles and is aiming to become the oldest American female gymnast to compete in the Summer Olympics since 1952.
Big Number
$10 million. That’s how much Biles made in 2021, when she was ranked No. 4 on Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes. Biles was the first gymnast to rank among the world’s highest-paid female athletes in at least a dozen years. She ranked No. 8 in 2022.
Further Reading
Paris 2024 Floats New Approach For Opening Ceremony Stadium (Forbes)
The World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2022 (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/06/28/shes-back-simone-biles-to-compete-for-first-time-since-walking-out-of-tokyo-in-2021/