Simone Biles triumphantly returns to gymnastics after two years out for ‘mental health hiatus’ as she wins three titles in front of sold-out Illinois crowd

Simone Biles was in imperious form as she made a triumphant return to competitive gymnastics on Saturday night, after a two-year absence to focus on her mental health.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist performed to a sold-out crowd in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, just outside Chicago, winning the All-Around, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise titles at the US Classic.

The 26-year-old pulled out of the women’s team final at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after suffering from the ‘twisties’ – a terrifying mental block that causes athletes to lose track of their position in the air .

She retired from four consecutive individual finals at the Games, before making a brief return in balance beam to take bronze, but has not competed since and has been away from the sport for the past two years.

She later hinted that this was partly due to the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of pedophile doctor Larry Nassar.

Biles is one of more than 150 gymnasts who was abused during his 30-year career by Nassar, the national team’s former doctor, and in 2019 revealed that the trauma of the attacks left her struggling with suicidal thoughts.

At the time, she admitted that she “slept all the time” because it was “the closest thing to death,” while revealing that she was undergoing therapy to deal with the abuse.

When she pulled out of the individual Olympic event, she retweeted a statement of support from former gymnast turned fitness trainer Andrea Orris that read:

“We’re talking about the same girl who was abused by her shift doctor throughout her childhood and teenage years.

“That girl has endured more trauma at age 24 than most people will ever experience in their lifetime.”

While Biles did not release her own statement about Nassar or her decision to withdraw, a U.S. official told DailyMail.com at the time that Orris’s message “sums up everything Simone feels and wants to say.”

On Saturday night, Biles made her first appearance since Tokyo in 2021, and her scores put her ahead of rivals Jordan Chiles, Katelyn Jong and Leanne Wong.

Biles scored a 14 on the uneven bars, a 14.8 on balance beam, 14.9 on floor exercise, and a 15.4 on vault.

It was an incredible comeback for Biles, as retirement seemed likely for the decorated gymnast – but she never removed herself from the anti-doping pool, leaving the door open for a return with the Paris Olympics next year on the horizon.

Anticipation for Biles’ return to competition has been mounting ever since she quietly entered the US Classic in June.

The US Classic is traditionally a tune-up event for the US National Championships later this month in San Jose.

The event itself is particularly special to Biles, given that in 2019 she landed a towering triple-twisting double tuck during a pre-match training session — a move never done by a woman before.

It was first demonstrated by gymnast Ri Jong-Song of North Korea, who showed it off during a routine at the 2004 Athens Olympics, according to the United States Olympic Committee.

The impressive move involves doing two somersaults before making three twists while remaining in a tucked position.

Biles also used the Classic as her comeback competition in 2018 after a two-year hiatus following her record medals in Rio de Janeiro.

It took her a whopping two hours to prove she remained the gold standard in her sport, paving the way for another spectacular run that included two more world all-around championships in 2018 and 2019 and three more national titles.

Biles, who married NFL star Jonathan Owens this spring, has become one of the most vocal advocates for athletes finding space to protect their mental health after her stance in Japan brought the issue to the forefront.

As the conversation around the subject continues to evolve, Biles’ return to the sport she dominated for nearly a decade suggests an athlete who wants to go out on her own terms.

Sunisa Lee, who won gold in the all-around final in Tokyo, will also be attending the US Classic after competing for two years at Auburn, where she helped spark a huge upsurge in interest in collegiate gymnastics.

Lee missed the second half of her sophomore year with the Tigers as she struggled with health issues, but is looking forward to a return to the Olympics, not to defend her all-around title, but to take another shot at gold on uneven bars, her signature event.

She placed third on bars in Tokyo, in no small part because of the attention she received after becoming the fifth American woman in a row to win the Olympic title.