simone biles
Simone Biles finished first in floor, balance beam, and vault to win the US Classic all-around by more than a point – a wide margin for gymnastics.
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
  • Simone Biles powered her way to a brilliant victory at the US Classic this weekend.
  • It was her first competition in 587 days.
  • The four-time gold medalist wore a rhinestone goat on the back of her leotard.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Simone Biles did what she did best at her first competition in 587 days – and she did it in style.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist and superstar American gymnast dominated this weekend's US Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana. Biles finished first in the floor, balance beam, and vault competitions to win the all-around by more than a full point – a considerably wide margin in gymnastics – against her sport's top talent.

All the while, Biles sported a custom leotard with her name and gymnastics club stitched into the front. And on the back? A rhinestone goat for the GOAT – or greatest of all time.

simone biles goat
Simone Biles donned a leotard with a rhinestone goat on the back at the US Classic.
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

The 24-year-old hasn't missed a beat despite taking a two-year hiatus heading into this weekend's competition. Conversely, she's managed to up the stakes in her time away.

Though floor has long been Biles' most dominant event, her vault was the most noteworthy of her US Classic performances. Biles pulled off a Yurchenko double pike – a vault so dangerous that no woman had ever tried it in competition before her. And she made it look effortless, completing the required roundoff-back-handspring entry into the vaulting table and executing two full backward rotations with legs extended before taking a single extra step on the landing.

Despite making history with the vault - and winning every event outside of the uneven bars - Biles was somewhat critical of her performance on the weekend. She described competing for the first time since 2019 as "really nerve-racking," but you certainly wouldn't know it from her results.

"I have a tendency as soon as I raise my hand to overpower things," Biles said after the US Classic. "And I did a little bit, but at least I was still on my feet. It's a new vault, and I'm proud of how today went even though it was a little bit rough and uncharacteristic."

"But it was okay," she added.

"Okay" is an understatement in the extreme. With her win in the all-around, Biles extended her winning streak in the event to eight years; she hasn't lost a single all-around at a competition since 2013.

But when you literally carry the GOAT label on your back - as Biles reaffirmed with her leotard this weekend - perfection is the expectation. She'll look to do just that during swan song at this summer's Tokyo Olympics.

Read the original article on Insider