By K.C. Globe Staff
Olympian and gymnastics star Simone Biles (a.k.a. the G.O.A.T) who on Saturday returned to competition at the U.S. Classic in her first competitive event since 2021, made a “triumphant return,” winning first place in front of a packed house at the 2023 U.S Classic in Chicago’s northwest suburbs. Overall, she finished in first place in the all-around, vault, floor routine and balance beam. And she placed third on the uneven bars.
She told ABC-7 Chicago after the competition, “I think tonight went really well. I feel really good about where I am right now mentally and physically.
During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles withdrew from multiple team and individual events.
It was during those events that while competing, she experienced what is known in the sport as the “twisties” in which competitors lose track of their positions mid-air, resulting in abrupt or dangerous landings.
Biles was one of several female gymnasts who were abused by the former USA Gymnast doctor Larry Nassar. She was one of Nassar’s victims who testified before the U.S. Senate, and soon became an advocate for others who have experienced various mental health challenges as a result of abuse or trauma in their lives.
Once exposed, Nassar was later convicted and sentenced to 40-75 years in prison for various sexual abuse crimes, as well as 60 years for child pornography. He is currently serving his time in the Coleman II U.S. Penitentiary in Orlando, Fla. (In July of this year, the Associated Press reported that he had been stabbed multiple times).
On July 7, 2022 Biles received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden.
After Saturday’s performance, Biles, the most decorated gymnast in the sport’s history with 32 Olympic and world medals, is beginning a new chapter in her life as a gymnast; and her supportive fans and others across the world are cheering her comeback.