Seven-time Olympic medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles is returning to gymnastics after nearly two years.
USA Gymnastics announced that Biles would be joining the field for the U.S. Classic in Chicago this August through a press release highlighting the capabilities and accomplishments of the athletes registered to participate in the event.
“It is exciting to think about the level of talent and historical legacy of the field that may compete at U.S. Classic,” USA Gymnastics Chief Programs Officer Stefanie Korepin noted in a press release. “Every athlete is at a different place in their season and career, and we will support each of them, wherever they are in their journey.”
Biles, who holds the record for most Olympic medals by a U.S. female gymnast, has not competed since taking herself out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics all-around competition due to her mental health. She pulled out of three of the four individual events for which she had qualified, won the bronze medal in the balance beam competition, and watched as her team earned a silver medal.
“As an athlete, you need to protect your mind and your body, rather just go out there and do what the world wants us to do and potentially injuring yourself,” Biles told Good Housekeeping in a recent interview. “I had to put myself above all else.”
“I learned that it’s OK not to be OK,” she added. “If you don’t do what is right for you, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport, and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to in whatever arena you’re competing in.”
Since then, Biles has become an advocate for mental health, encouraging others to be self-aware and have the fortitude to speak up when they are struggling.
“It’s challenging to talk about how you’re doing mentally since it’s an invisible injury — people can’t see it, so it’s harder to understand, but I think that’s why it’s so important we feel empowered to open up about it,” she explained to Good Housekeeping.
Biles is one of two Olympic gold medalists, along with Sunisa Lee, in a U.S. Classic field that includes 11 medalists from the Olympics and the World Championships.
Defending 2022 U.S. Classic winner Leanne Wong is also competing. Wong is currently a member of the gymnastics team at the University of Florida, has won medals at the World Championships and Pan American Games, and was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo.
There has not been an official announcement on whether Biles will participate in the Paris Olympics next summer.
The U.S. Classic, a tune-up for the World Championships, will be held August 4 and 5 at NOW Arena in Chicago.