Simone Biles preparing for first competition since shock exit from Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles is back! Arguably the greatest Olympic gymnast of all time, Biles is preparing for her first competition since her shock exit from the Tokyo Olympics back in 2020.

Biles posted on social media that she was, "excited to get back out on the competition floor!" shortly after USA Gymnastics announced she had registered for the U.S. Classic, to be held in Chicago from August 5.

We now know that Biles is currently in the US training camp after the four-time Olympic gold medalist posted an image in her Instagram story Sunday 9 July with World Champions Centre teammate Zoe Miller with a caption stating, "Back at camp."

The US camp will give Biles hands-on time with national coaches and judges as well as active gymnasts and teammates, ahead of the competition.

This will be crucial for Biles as the 26-year-old has not competed under new rules brought in by the International Gymnastics Federation following the Tokyo Games. These rule changes will require Biles to make modifications to her previous routines, according to Olympics.com.

Things are looking great for Biles right now, who married Green Bay Packers safety Johnathan Owens in April 2023, but for a time things weren’t so rosy in the Champion’s world it seemed like a return to competitive gymnastics would never be on the cards again.

Let's not forget, that just three years ago she was on the verge of competing for another Olympic medal in Tokyo when she sensationally walked off the floor, telling her coach "I can't go up there."

“I do not trust myself anymore,” Biles said afterward, fighting back the tears as she met with the world’s media. “I have to focus on my mental health." Biles continued, “Once I step up onto the mat it’s just me and my head, dealing with the demons in my head.”

But what happened to this prodigious gymnast? What kind of demons are in her head? We are talking about a 26-year-old girl who revolutionized artistic gymnastics in terms of style of technique and became a five-time world champion in the process. Three of those titles were consecutive wins – a record that's likely to be upheld for a long time to come. Let's take a look back at Biles' journey so far.

Even from an early age, life has been far from a dream run for Biles. Both her parents suffered from addiction, and the young girl was raised by her grandparents. Biles discovered rhythmic gymnastics at the age of six and took refuge in the discipline, practicing it compulsively on her own. But once her professional career in this sport began, so did the abuse.

Biles is included in the very long list of girls abused by Larry Nassar – a coach who was jailed for 60 years trial for having abused 250 athletes under his care. While Biles was not actively involved in the trial, it was a challenging time for her. Eventually, she spoke up on Twitter about what she had suffered through with Nassar.

Simone Biles said on Twitter in 2018: “Most know me as a happy, giggly, and energetic girl. But lately, I've been feeling broken, and the more I try to shut off the voice in my head, the louder it screams. I am not afraid to tell my story anymore."

Before going public with her abuse story, Biles was also forced to tell the world that she was taking medication because she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In 2016, hackers made Simone Biles's medical records public and mistook her prescribed ADHD medication as performance-enhancing drug.

Biles introduced a different style to artistic gymnastics, athletic energy combined with modernity. It was fresh, innovative style that took her to the Number 1 spot. But competing to always stay on top is, as athletes know, exhausting.

While Biles's genius for artistic gymnastics is innate, she's also spent most of her time on her earth perfecting it. At the age of eight, she was discovered by a coach who was perplexed by seeing such discipline in such a young girl. The coach noticed that Simone was simply imitating what she saw in a gym where she went to spy on girls who did gymnastics.

Aimee Borman (pictured with Simone Biles) has been her coach since she was a child and put her to work hard right away. In fact, she practically stopped going to school and graduated from high school by studying at home.

It is said that Simone Biles, as a child and adolescent, trained up to 32 hours a week. Such exhaustive training left little time for the typical pleasures of childhood.

The pressure to achieve victory is an element capable of destabilizing anyone. Biles herself has a phrase that sums it up: "Sometimes I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders."

Biles has also argued that sometimes you have to step back and take care of yourself. Among other things, she mentioned the fear of injury – a common occurrence in her sport – is not only painful but can have long-term health implications.

Thankfully, she has done just this. After such a tumultuous period, it's great to see Biles smiling again and feeling in a position that wants to go out and do what she does best. And with Paris Olympics just one year away, the timing could not be better for the US team!