Four-time Olympic champion Simone Biles said “I knew I would be back” after she qualified for the Paris Games.
American Biles, 27, secured her spot at the US Olympic trials on Sunday in Minneapolis with a two-day all-round score of 117.225.
Paris will be Biles’ third Olympics after competing in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo events.
She had a disappointing Games in Tokyo, winning a silver and a bronze, as she suffered with the ‘twisties’, which gymnasts describe as a kind of mental block, and withdrew from some events to prioritise her mental health and safety.
Biles, who won four golds and a silver in Rio, took a break from the sport after the 2020 Olympics but returned to competition in 2023. Since then, she has won her sixth all-round world title, three other world golds and two national championships.
“I knew I wasn’t done after the performances in Tokyo,” Biles said.
“I just had to get back in the gym, work hard and trust the process. I knew I would be back.”
Biles’ routine started with the Taylor Swift song ‘Ready for It?’ and the Grammy-winning singer posted on X: “Watched this so many times and still unready. She’s ready for it tho.”
“I think my team talk to her team sometimes and I have met her a couple of times so it has been really sweet,” added Biles.
Biles completes the US women’s gymnastics team heading to the Olympics this summer alongside Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.
Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong have also been announced as travelling alternates.
The women’s gymnastics events will take place from 28 July until 10 August.