Simone Biles, courtesy of USA Gymnastics (photo by John Cheng)

When seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles appeared on the roster for this weekend’s U.S. Classic, we had reason to be cautious with our expectations. Given her mental health struggles that surfaced during the Olympic Games in Tokyo, causing her to develop “the twisties” and ultimately withdraw from multiple finals, it didn’t seem fair to immediately put the pressure back on before she’d even stepped foot on the competition floor.

But it was hard to not expect a lot. Not only did we have camp scores showing that Biles was yet again doing peak difficulty really well, but there’s no way Biles – or her coaches – would send her back out into the wild if she wasn’t beyond ready. Keeping expectations low was difficult, but my excitement was growing the more we learned and saw from her, especially following podium training. It was clear she was back back, and perhaps better than ever.

In Saturday night’s competition, Biles wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty clear that she didn’t have to be. “Not perfect” for Biles still resulted in the highest all-around score of the quad thus far, with the now 26-year-old hitting all four events to earn a 59.100. That’s officially her score in the U.S. rankings, though the D panel on vault valued her Yurchenko double pike at a 6.4 instead of a 6.2 under the assumption that a tucked version would end up rating a 6.2 to push the piked version up a couple of tenths. Her score thus works out to be a 58.900, but regardless of the technicality, it remains the best we’ve seen over the past two years.

Starting on bars, Biles looked like she’d never taken time off. Her toe full still gave her some trouble, but like she’s known for, she was able to fight through the mistake and come away with a 14.0 to win the bronze. On beam, she was brilliant, again with really only one exception, as she landed her side aerial a bit short with her chest down and a balance check, but she still walked away with a 14.8 to win the gold.

Biles’ floor routine included a full-twisting double layout (her weakest pass in terms of form and landing, but likely a placeholder for something bigger), an incredibly difficult front full through to double double, a Biles I with a bit of a step causing her to skip the connection to the stag jump, and a strong double layout, finishing to deafening applause – and a 14.9 for another title win – in the Now Arena. Her massive Yurchenko double pike sealed the deal for her all-around win, and with that, we could finally call Biles’ comeback what it was – an overwhelming, dominating success.

Speaking to Biles after the competition, it was clear from her presence and her words that she’s in a much better place mentally than she was two years ago (though while she made her comeback look both effortless and fun, she was surprised to hear that this is how she came across, adding that she felt like she was going to “shit bricks”). Biles described the situation in Tokyo as incredibly difficult, both due to personal struggles and to the pressure she was under, coming partly from the media but also from people on the “inside” who expected her to be the team’s golden ticket while also unfairly demanding complete and total leadership from the sole Olympic veteran. Biles politely declined to name those responsible for adding to her already unimaginable pressure, but talked about how it really affected her, especially during an Olympic Games where the team was secluded and forced to “sit alone with their thoughts” for hours at a time while not training or competing in an effort to keep Covid exposure at bay.

While the situations related to the leadership in the women’s program as well as with Covid have both improved, the pressure from the media is already back. While it’s clear that Biles is once again outstanding and said herself that she feels both physically and mentally better than ever before, and while it also may be clear that Biles is going to be very hard to best if she can keep it up at this level, I don’t think it’s necessary to return to the old descriptors of her and her momentum going forward. She can be the best without being referred to as unbeatable, and she can be a top contender for a number of medals at world championships without stating outright that it’s an absolute. What Tokyo should have taught us is that anything can happen and nothing is a guarantee, and changing the language we use to talk about her current and future successes is something Biles and other athletes deserve.

The competition was also a triumph for other athletes who had something to prove here, including 2022 world champion Leanne Wong now back under the direction of her University of Florida coaches following her sophomore collegiate season. Wong, who had a couple of misses at the most recent camp, was fantastic in her own return, with her beam dismount her only real mishap, and even that she was able to save from a fall. She also brought a second vault into the mix to help her win the silver medal there on top of her all-around silver with a 54.100 total. 

I was definitely most impressed with Wong’s work on floor, where she finished fourth with a 13.5. She’s had a few changes to her tumbling lines there, and it was for the better, with her opening double double and subsequent double layout both incredibly strong. She also competed a whip half to front full and a super strong double pike at the end, and as strong as this was, I think there’s room for improvement in both her difficulty and execution in the lead-up to worlds, so I wouldn’t count her out as a strong contender yet again this year.

Joscelyn Roberson has been on everyone’s watch list since she was barely taller than the beam, but after moving to World Champions Centre, her trajectory has completely changed course, and after this weekend, where she finished third all-around with a 54.050 with a fall on bars, I’d place her solidly on the list of Olympic contenders. 

What’s been most impressive about Roberson this whole year is her consistency on floor. She currently has the top four international floor scores of the year, and all four of these routines are within about a tenth of one another, earning a 14.15 at the DTB Pokal Team Challenge, a 14.1 and a 14.067 over two days at the Pan American Championships, and a 14.066 in the qualification round at the world cup in Cairo. She completely blew me away with her Moors, full-twisting double layout, front full through to double tuck, and front layout through to double pike, earning a 14.0 for a well-deserved silver medal, while also winning the gold on vault after a great landing on her brand-new Cheng, and getting the bronze on beam with a 14.3, looking rock solid on every single skill.

Roberson said she was nervous about changing gyms and training with Laurent and Cecile Landi, but she is clearly thriving there, both under their guidance but also in an environment where she has the opportunity to learn from women like Biles. Even her bars has come a long way – it’s likely never going to be a standout event for her, but almost all of her handstands in last night’s routine were rail-straight, and her composition really lends itself to her strengths, with a number of clear hip entries and a super strong double layout dismount. She only earned an 11.1 there after crashing into the high bar on her Gienger, which looked a little rushed out of the Maloney and didn’t fully get the rotation she needed, but going back to five-person teams next year leaves room for two- and three-event gymnasts, and I don’t think what she does on bars will matter at all.

Finishing off of the all-around podium was the exhibition competitor Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, who trains at World Champions Centre but is still representing France and wasn’t eligible for the U.S. rankings, though she would have won the silver medal behind Biles with a massive 56.200, her best score under the current code of points.

De Jesus Dos Santos had a few moments in this competition that she wasn’t entirely proud of, including some mistakes on beam, landings on floor, and form on bars. But regardless, she looked incredible, with especially gorgeous work on bars in a routine that earned a massive 14.85, and with impressive tumbling on floor, including a full-twisting double layout, front layout to double tuck, and a lovely double pike, earning a 13.45 for the attempt. A performance like she did here would make her an all-around medal contender at worlds, so hopefully she’ll continue looking as sharp and consistent as she has at both U.S. meets this summer.

Rounding out the top eight were Nola Matthews in fourth with a 53.550, Katelyn Jong in fifth with a 53.450, Zoe Miller in sixth with a 53.000, Amelia Disidore in seventh with a 52.800, and Alicia Zhou in eighth with a 52.750. 

Matthews had a fantastic day, proving herself as more than a bars athlete with beautiful performances on beam and floor to finish in the top six on all three, though bars was of course her best apparatus, earning a 13.9 for fourth. I was also thrilled to see Jong at close to the top of her game, hitting a strong bars set and standing out with big skills on floor to land in the top eight on both of those. Miller, meanwhile, struggled a bit on beam and floor, but she had a beautiful Yurchenko 1.5 on vault, and her bars were of course one of the highlights of the competition, earning the gold with a 14.75 thanks to her beautiful lines, fluid connections, and stellar technique.

Kayla DiCello, who competed two events at the American Classic a couple of weeks ago, returned to the all-around here, and though she had a fall on bars, she otherwise had a strong day, with a huge, gorgeous Yurchenko full on vault and steady, if not difficult, routines on beam and floor, ranking seventh on both. She finished with a 51.950 to land in 11th place with lots of room for improvement, but most importantly, she earned her all-around score for nationals, so we’ll hopefully get to see some continued growth from her in San Jose.

Also making the leap from NCAA to elite was Sunisa Lee, who wrapped up her career at Auburn this spring and will now focus on next year’s Olympics. It was unclear how Lee would perform here, given that she’s had kidney issues on top of not being back at elite strength for very long, but from the moment she mounted beam, it was clear she was dialed in and ready to impress. Her beam routine was absolutely stunning, earning a 14.5 for the silver medal, and she also competed a breathtaking Yurchenko full on vault, showing power and technique that was a step above the rest of the field to earn a 13.5.

With a 28.000, Lee soared past the score needed to require as a two-event athlete, and though she didn’t compete bars or floor here, she should be able to petition to compete on either or both events at nationals.

Other top performers here included Skye Blakely, who was second on bars and third on beam with standout routines that should make her once again a top contender for the worlds team, and Kaliya Lincoln, who has a massive Yurchenko double on vault and one of the most impressive floor routines, with a tremendous double double and double layout in her opening lines. Blakely also competed a strong Yurchenko double on vault, but skipped floor, while Lincoln opted to not compete on bars, but I think both would have been in the all-around podium mix had they competed all four. 

Finally, Olympic medalists and 2022 world champions Jordan Chiles competed on bars, finishing fourth with a 13.9, and on beam, where she earned a 12.8, while Jade Carey competed only on beam, earning a 13.0. Chiles went big and bold in her never-ending bars set, and while she struggled with nerves on beam that caused deductions on nearly every skill, she also showed incredible fight, simply refusing to fall even when it looked like she might. Carey also stayed on beam, and looked mostly confident there despite a few small things, though she said up front that this meet was about getting her feet wet to prepare for nationals, so no big deal to not see her going for broke just yet.

In the end, this year’s U.S. Classic was the most impressive in recent memory, and perhaps even in my entire memory. The U.S. showed some incredible work at worlds last year without Biles, and it still looks like the women’s program could put up a winning team if she hadn’t come back. It’s great to know that they don’t absolutely need her to be successful, but at the same time, it’s thrilling to have her back on her own terms, for her own reasons, and in the right headspace, and I hope the “she’s our golden ticket” narrative isn’t something anyone ever pushes again. No matter how much of a lock she seems for any medal or how much she can realistically add to the team score, that level of pressure is something I hope she never has to deal with, and am glad she is speaking up about how much it harmed her.

Article by Lauren Hopkins