Superstar gymnast Simone Biles scored an easy victory at the U.S. Classic on Saturday as Team USA takes shape two months before the Paris Summer Olympics.
Biles, 27, achieved an all-around score of 59.500 while coming in first in the vault and floor exercise events and second in uneven bars and the balance beam. The victory was a triumphant return to form after struggles with her mental health contributed to Biles' withdrawal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"I was just happy to be back out there, get through those nerves again, feel that adrenaline," Biles told reporters at the Hartford, Connecticut, competition. "I can't really complain how the first meet back was."
Shilese Jones came in second place, trailing Biles by 1.85 points. After that success on Saturday, many commentators emphasized the likelihood that the 21-year-old gymnast will make her Olympic debut this summer.
"I'm not here to peak yet," Jones told reporters ahead of Saturday's competition. "I'm going on that same training plan from here to trials and trying to work my way up. I have some big goals."
Less clear to the experts, however, is who the other three members of the five-woman Olympic gymnastics team will be. Gold medalist Gabby Douglas fell twice on the uneven bars this weekend, which muddied the 28-year-old gymnast's prospects.
Reigning Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee came in first on the balance beam after kidney issues forced her to exit the 2023 season early.
"It was really important for me to go out there and fight to fight those demons," Lee told reporters. "These competitions have been helping me build my confidence up."
The American women's gymnastics team will be selected at next month's Olympic Trials. The women eligible for those trials first be determined at the U.S. Championships, which will be held in Texas at the end of this month.
