A good omen almost two months before the Paris 2024 Games! Simone Biles, the American gymnastics star, kicked off her Olympic season this summer with an all-around victory (59.5 points) at the Core Hydration Classic in Connecticut on Saturday. It was the American’s best all-around total since her return to competition last year, following her shortened campaign at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
“Happy to be back”
The American withdrew from most of the events for mental health and safety reasons. “I was just happy to be back, (…) to feel that adrenaline,” said the four-time Olympic gold medalist on Saturday. Biles finished 1.85 points ahead of two-time World Championship all-around medalist Shilese Jones, who is also seeking to qualify for the Games in Paris (July 26-August 11).
Simone Biles dominated two of the four apparatuses of the competition: floor and vault, notably succeeding in the famous and difficult “Yurchenko” double pike, which now bears the name “Biles II”, and this without the presence – as a precaution – on the mat of her French coach Laurent Landi, unlike last year at the World Championships in Antwerp where she was crowned. A performance which earned him a score of 15.6 points.
Only Jones also managed to score more than 15 points (15.25) during the competition, on the uneven bars. 2021 Olympic champion Suni Lee took first place on the balance beam with 14.6 points, ahead of Biles (14.55). The winner of the all-around during the Olympic selections from June 27 to 30 will qualify directly for the Games. Four other American gymnasts will be selected by a committee. Before that, the best candidates will try to secure their place for these qualifications during the national championships in Texas, from May 30 to June 2.
