Simone Biles will be making a shocking return to the competition mat this summer, USA Gymnastics announced on Wednesday.
Biles, 26, has been off the floor since 2021, taking a leave of absence after dealing with mental health struggles during the Tokyo Olympics.
Biles is the greatest Olympic gymnast in history, having captured four gold medals in the 2016 Rio Games. She was widely expected to leave Tokyo with a similar haul. However, she was taken by a case of "the twisties", struggling to complete common routines while dealing with mental duress.
Biles dropped out of three event finals before taking part in the individual balance beam final, where she won bronze. In the process, she joined Shannon Miller as the most-decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history.
MORE: Simone Biles' Olympics timeline
Here's what you need to know as Biles prepares to get back in the leotard for at least one more time.
Simone Biles return
Biles will be making her return at the U.S. Classic (Aug. 4-5 at NOW Arena in Chicago). She's far from the only big name set to take part in the festivities; she'll be joined by fellow Tokyo Olympians Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, as well as two-time gold medalist and defending Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee.
The U.S. Classic is the final qualifying competition for the U.S. Championships.
If Biles were to qualify for the U.S. team for Paris 2024, she would become the oldest woman to make the team in two decades. Annie Hatch was 26 at the Athens 2004 Games.
It's been a whirlwind few years for Biles, one of the stars of Rio 2016. She has become inextricably linked with helping grow consciousness for athletes' mental health struggles, joining the likes of Naomi Osaka, Kevin Love, DeMar DeRozan and countless others in advocating for therapy and healing among professional sportspeople.
In 2022, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Biles become the award's youngest-ever winner.
MORE: Why was Simone Biles awarded the Medal of Freedom?
President Joe Biden praised the gymnast as someone who “turned personal pain into a greater purpose" and "stood up and spoke for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
Earlier this year, Biles married Packers defensive back Jonathan Owens.
MORE: Simone Biles-Jonathan Owens wedding lights up social media
Did Simone Biles retire?
Despite stepping away from the game, Biles never officially retired. In fact, anything but: Biles reiterated her desire to get back into the sport last September, tweeting that she simply spent this time away "working on her mental health."
I haven’t retired though 💖 just working on my mental health. https://t.co/CU88pLWCSE
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) September 27, 2022
That tracks with what Biles said immediately following the Tokyo Games. Despite being struck down with mental health challenges in 2021, Biles indicated that she was still very much physically capable of competing with the best in the world.
“Physically, I feel good. I’m in shape,” she told Hoda Kotb on NBC’s “TODAY” following her exit. “Emotionally, it varies on the time and moment. Coming to the Olympics and being head star isn’t an easy feat.”
MORE: Simone Biles says she 'should have quit way before Tokyo' Olympics
It's been quite the comeback for Biles, one of America's greatest-ever athletes. But it seems she's approaching the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Right now, I'm trying to take it one step at a time. I really feel like I haven't fully got to process Tokyo yet," she told Olympics.com in September 2021. "So, once I fully understand and process that, I'm sure it'll lead me towards which direction I want to go towards."
Simone Biles 2024 Olympics status
Biles' return to her various apparatuses of choice certainly jar the door wide open for her to participate in Paris 2024. However, she planned on involving herself in the festivities in some way, regardless of her desire (or lack thereof) to compete.
MORE: Olympic gymnastics qualifying, explained
"I’ll be in Paris no matter what, I just don’t know if it will be on the floor yet or in the audience cheering on the girls, but I’ll be in Paris," Biles said earlier in the year, via KPRC.
If she does intend on donning the U.S.A. leotard for real, her course of action is as follows:
- Win a gold medal at World Championships (Sept. 30-Oct. 8, 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium).
- Earn a spot on the national team via national team qualifying trials (June 27-30, 2024 in Minneapolis).
- Earn high enough qualifying scores to be entered into 2024 Apparatus World Cup series followed by securing a top-two score on one of the four apparatuses (based on best three results out of four in the series).
Biles still has some serious work to do. But if she can showcase the fluidity that made her one of the greatest gymnasts to ever grace the mat, she'll have as good a shot as any American woman to be on the plane to Paris come 2024.