Photo Courtesy of Simone Biles / Instagram
Simone Biles, 26, aka the GOAT, had a victorious return to the Olympics on Saturday after a two-year hiatus, taking first place in four out of five categories at the Core Hydration Classic.
According to NBC Sports, Biles landed first place for the women’s all-around with a 59.1 score. She also dominated the balance beam category, earning a high score of 14.8. The 26-year-old achieved first place for the floor exercise with a 14.9 score and first place for the vault at 15.4.
Uneven bars was the only category Biles didn’t reign in, with Zoe Miller coming in first place with 14.7, Skye Blakely scoring 14.35 and Biles earning a 14 score.
In an interview with the outlet, Biles shared her uncertainty about doing the 2024 Olympics but said she’s putting in the work and seeing where things go.
“We’re still in the working steps,” she said. “My main goal was this, and then [U.S.] championships, and then after we’ll look onto worlds, and then we’ll see, but so far, it’s heading in the right direction.”
After the Tokyo Olympics, Biles stepped back from competing in 2021 and faced backlash. She described her difficult decision as a “mental injury.”
“I mean, you saw what happened,” Biles said. “Pulling out of five finals whenever I know what I’m capable of and knowing what I can do. It was like a mental injury, you know? So something like that, I knew with the proper work and the proper help, I could come back and hopefully have a shot.”
During her break from gymnastics, Biles got married and built a home with her husband, Jonathan Owens, starred in a Snapchat reality series and more.
In September of last year, she began training, knowing in her heart and mind she would want to return to the sport she loves.
“I always kind of knew [that I would come back] as soon as everything that happened in Tokyo,” she said. “I feel grateful that I get this opportunity to come back out here and compete in front of a crowd because I truly didn’t believe I’d be back here competing at all.”
Amid her return, Biles clarified that she would continue therapy and put her mental and physical health first.