Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, well-known figures in gymnastics, are returning to competition with an eye toward the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The Competitive line-up: Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee will participate in the U.S. Classic, a qualifying event for national championships scheduled for August 5.
* Biles, the most decorated U.S. women’s gymnast, hasn’t competed since the Tokyo Olympics two years ago when she withdrew due to mental health issues.
* Sunisa “Suni” Lee, winner of the individual all-around gold at Tokyo Olympics, will also be competing.
The Backstory: Biles and Lee had differing experiences in the Tokyo Olympics.
* Biles was suffering from “the twisties” – loss of spatial awareness in the air – and pulled out of the competition in Tokyo, which in turn triggered global conversation about mental health among athletes.
* Lee vaulted to fame with her gold medal-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics, post which she participated in college gymnastics at Auburn University.
Going forward: Both Biles and Lee are setting their sights on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
* Biles has said it was “up in the air” whether she would return to competition as recently as January.
* Despite a kidney issue – which Lee says is not related to gymnastics – Lee expressed her continued pursuit of the Paris 2024 bid in an April tweet.
Historic implication: If both Biles and Lee qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, it would mark the first time the U.S. squad includes two Olympic all-around winners.
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