BETTER THAN EVER

Simone Biles Stuns in First Day Back to U.S. Gymnastics Championships

The four-time Olympic gold medalist’s performance gave no indication she’d just come back after a long hiatus.

Olympic champion Simone Biles blew away the competition during the U.S. Gymnastics championships on Friday, earning the top score in the world this year despite returning from a nearly two-year break. With a score of 60.1, Biles came in well ahead of reining world champion Morgan Hurd. “At Classics, I was still easing back into everything and kind of feeling the surroundings and getting used to competing again,” Biles said after the event Friday, referring to her less than stellar performance at the U.S. Classic last month. “I feel like today I really embraced it,” she said. The gymnastics legend took about 15 months off after winning five medals in the Rio Olympics in 2016, saying the rigorous training she went through made her feel like she needed a proper break to be able to give the sport her all again.