Simone Biles wins U.S. Classic in return after 2-year layoff - ESPN

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Simone Biles is a champion once again.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist returned to gymnastics competition at the Core Hydration Classic outside of Chicago on Saturday night, where she won the all-around, balance beam and floor titles and had the highest score of the night on vault.

Biles finished five points ahead of silver medalist Leanne Wong with an all-around score of 59.1, an unbelievable margin in a sport of tenths. And that was without her full difficulty.

Biles began on bars with a small error on a pirouette, then excelled for the remainder of the meet, capping the night with a Yurchenko double pike vault, a skill she is the only woman ever to land in competition.

«I think the night went really well,» Biles said after the meet. «Everything has fallen into place. I feel really good about where I am right now, mentally and physically. There are some things to work on in my routines, but for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I'm very shocked and surprised.»

When Biles announced her return to competition after two years — without fanfare, without a televised announcement and simply by adding her name to the list of gymnasts competing at this meet — there was no expectation she would win or even compete in all four rotations.

The Classic is essentially a warm-up for the rest of the season and the final chance for athletes to qualify into U.S. Championships in San Jose from Aug. 24-27. It is an opportunity for gymnasts to shake off the cobwebs and work through the nerves. Instead, although the meet featured the return of reigning Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee to elite competition, as well as Tokyo Olympians Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, Saturday night felt like a