By Karen Braun
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (Reuters) – Simone Biles made a triumphant return to gymnastics on Saturday in suburban Chicago, eclipsing the field by an enormous margin in her first competitive event since the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist dazzled fans with her sky-high tumbling and a double-flipping vault so difficult that it has never been performed by another female gymnast.
The “twisties,” which cut short Biles’ Tokyo run, were nowhere in sight on Saturday as the 26-year-old American gymnast appeared back to her previous, top-notch form after taking more than a year off from the sport.
Biles returned to high-level training earlier this year, announcing in late June that she would join the talent-packed roster at Saturday’s Core Hydration U.S. Classic, just one year out from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
(Reporting by Karen Braun; Editing by William Mallard)
