![]() Biles' all-around score Saturday was higher than what she posted at the same meet in 2018. There is plenty of time to refine things. "It's just about really taking care of my body right now. "I knew I could come back and hopefully have a shot," she said. Making it a point to enjoy what she called the "little wins." Championships are later this month, with the world championships coming in October and the Olympics less than a year out. ![]() The Classic is considered a warm-up of sorts. She hopped a little bit after landing as the arena exploded, her 15.400 more than a full point better than any of the other 30+ athletes managed. It's a vault she toyed with in 2021 hoping to pull off in Tokyo. ![]() She finished with a Yurchenko double-pike vault, a roundoff onto the table followed by two back flips with her hands clasped behind her knees. No other athlete, many of whom grew up idolizing her, had a start value higher than 5.9. Her score of 14.900 included a start value of 6.8, a massive amount of difficult. While she and her coaches have tweaked her routines a bit to better take advantage of the sport's updated Code of Points, she still does some of the most challenging gymnastics in the sport typically with seemingly effortless ease.īiles kept all three of her tumbling passes on the floor inbounds, something that was a problem at times in 2021. She was dynamic on floor exercise, where her tumbling passes have long been showstoppers. Still, the lure of the gym tugged at her, though she's taking a more muted approach to her comeback than in 2018 or in the run-up to Tokyo in 2021.Īt the moment, she's letting her gymnastics do most of the talking. She's spent most of the last 24 months preparing for her wedding and planning the rest of her life. While never officially closed the door on Paris, at one point she was convinced her career was over. Rocking a black-and-white bedazzled leotard and a silicone wedding band she bought from Amazon to wear while she competes, Biles electrified a packed house that roared with every spin, every flip, and yes, twist. Then it was the same as it ever was for the most decorated female gymnast in history. ![]() Minutes later she raised her hands and saluted the judges. She scrambled from one side of the floor to the other, unsure of where she was supposed to go. The only time she seemed out of place at the NOW Arena was when she was introduced. Championships into a showcase that she remains - when she's at or near her best - a singular force in her sport. She posted the best score on three of four events, turning what is typically a tune-up meet for the U.S. "I still think there are some things to work on in my routines, but for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. "I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically," Biles said. And made all the more remarkable by the fact she didn't really pour herself into preparing until after her wedding to Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in late April. Her all-around score of 59.100 was five points better than runner-up Leann Wong. Back to being the Simone Biles - albeit a more mature, married, 26-year-old version - who has spent a decade redefining her sport.Ĭonfidence growing with every rotation, Biles soared to victory in her first meet since the Tokyo Games. And it wasn't until she stepped onto the podium and heard the shrieks of support and the sea of handmade signs that the noise she'd been grappling with for 732 days finally fell silent. It wasn't until late June that she committed to Saturday night's U.S. It wasn't until mid-spring that she committed to training seriously after talking about it over margaritas with her coaches. She dove into therapy and slowly - very slowly - returned to training even though she wavered on whether she was really up for a third Olympics and all of the pressure and expectations that come with it when you're considered the greatest of all time. Simone Biles spent two years trying to distance herself from those strange days in Tokyo and all the outside noise that came along with it. Championships in San Jose later in August. Simone Biles soared in her return to competition following a two-year layoff.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |