As she felt something she feared she would never feel again, Simone Biles heard something she feared she would never hear again. She was twisting. And the crowd was cheering.
It was only during Friday’s practice before Saturday’s U.S. Classic, her first competition in two years and two days. But it meant that by the time the greatest gymnast in history launched herself onto the uneven bars Saturday to open the event, officially marking her return, she knew she could do it.
It seems hard to believe now that she obliterated the competition with a score of 59.1, ahead of second place by the same margin as No. 2 to No. 17, while the sold-out audience of about 7,200 thundered like it was a Taylor Swift concert—on the same day she brought at least one young gymnast to tears just by saying hello. But Biles began the weekend unsure of how they would receive her.
