Simone Biles is set to make her comeback at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships this Wednesday, aiming to maintain her outstanding performance in the event.
The 26-year-old is set to participate in the women’s team final as the US looks to win its seventh consecutive world title in the discipline.
It’s already been an impressive competition for Biles, who made history on the opening day of championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
On Sunday, she finished first in the women’s all-around qualification and became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault – a high-difficulty skill historically only done by men – at an international competition.
It is Biles’ first competition back on the world stage since the Tokyo 2020 Games when she pulled out of several events suffering from what is known as the “twisties” – a mental block causing a gymnast to lose track of their positions in midair.
Since then, she has once again displayed all the qualities that have carried her to the pinnacle of the sport, coming back to win a record eighth national all-around title.
And by competing in Antwerp, Biles became the first woman to represent the US at six artistic world championships.
The seven-time Olympic medalist will be joined by US teammates Skye Blakey, Shilese Jones, Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong for the team final on Wednesday.
How to watch
The world championships began on September 30 and will run until October 8.
On Wednesday, Biles will be part of the USA’s five-woman team competing in the final of the team event.
Biles will also take part in the women’s individual all-around final on Friday, before the women’s vault and uneven bars finals on October 7 and the balance beam and floor exercise finals the following day.
NBC will broadcast coverage in the US, while the BBC will show the finals in the UK.
All three days of qualifying were broadcast on the International Gymnastics Federation’s streaming hub, All Gymnastics TV. The finals will also be available in some countries on the platform.
Full-circle moment
In 2013, Biles made her world championships debut in Antwerp, winning the all-round and floor exercise gold, as well as vault silver and beam bronze.
In the 10 years since that moment, she has accumulated 25 world championship medals – 19 gold, three silver and three bronze – in total.
She last competed at the world championships in 2019, winning five gold medals – a feat she could replicate in Belgium.
Biles is already the most decorated gymnast in US history, winning 32 medals across the Olympics and the world championships.
