Simone Biles sets her sights on the Paris Olympics as four

Release time：2024-05-22 00:23:36 Source：Cultural Current news portal

Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in US history, has agreed to compete at the US Classic on May 18.

Along with the US Championships and the Olympic trials, the event is one of three major mileposts on the road to the 2024 Paris Games.

This year's Classic will take place in Hartford on May 17-19.

Reigning Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Sunisa Lee had been the headliner of the initial draw prior to Biles' enrolment.

Lee, who became the sixth American woman to win her sport's most coveted title at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is eyeing a run at this year's Paris Games. The 21-year-old Lee has been hampered by health issues over the last two years but did compete at the Winter Cup in Louisville in February.

Biles performs during the 2023 US Classic, just outside Chicago, in front of a packed crowd

Biles appeared laser-focused as she competed on the uneven bars during her brilliant return

The initial field for the event slated for May 17-19 also includes 2020 Olympic floor champion Jade Carey, six-time world championship medalist Shilese Jones, former NCAA all-around champion Trinity Thomas and four-time world championship medalist Leanne Wong.

The meet is the next major event in the run-up to the U.S. Olympic Trials scheduled for late June in Minneapolis.

Biles was named the AP's Female Athlete of the Year in 2023 after making a remarkable return to the sport following a disappointing showing at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Her triumphant return that included her record eighth U.S. national championship and a sixth world all-around gold made Biles the sixth woman to claim the AP honor for a third time.

The last time Biles had saluted the judges, she was earning a bronze medal on the balance beam at the end of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the end of a tumultuous two weeks where her decision to pull out of multiple finals due to ' the twisties ' (think mid-air vertigo) dragged the sometimes uncomfortable conversation about athletes and their mental health into the white-hot spotlight only the Games provide.

The 26-year-old has been sharing regular updates from life with NFL husband Jonathan Owens

Reigning Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Sunisa Lee will also be at the US Classic

Though she drew near-universal acclaim for her courage to put her safety first, a quick check of her mentions on social media showed not everyone agreed.

She took a two-year hiatus in the aftermath, going into what she called a 'protective shell.' She dove deeper into therapy while eyeing a return on her terms.

Still, that didn't stop self-doubt from creeping in. Only this time, instead of letting the anxiety gnaw at her confidence, she accepted its presence, took a deep breath, and put on the kind of show that is hers and hers alone.

'I did a lot better than I thought I would do,' Biles said.

Same as it ever was.

Biles previously won the AP honor in 2016 and 2019, times in her life she now barely recognizes.

She was still a teenager following her star-making performance at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Still living at home with her parents. Her world still revolved around the spaceship of a gym her family built in the Houston suburbs.

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