Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles reclaims top spot after break

Simone Biles says she's glad to be back competing

The world of competitive gymnastics has been made a little brighter for the return of a happier Simone Biles.

The four-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast won in convincing style at the US Classic in her first tournament since she announced she was taking a break to work on her mental health in 2021.

She scored 59.100 points for her all-around score.

The competition is typically seen as a warm-up event to the national championships.

She thanked her supporters as well as everyone in the crowd cheering for her, and everyone who made and held up posters in her honour.

"It just made my heart melt that they still believe in me," she said.

"Everything has fallen into place. I feel really good about where I am mentally and physically," she added.

"I still think there are some things to work on in my routine, but for the first meet back, I would say it went pretty well. I'm very shocked and surprised. I'm very happy now that it is out of the way."

Simone is the US's most decorated gymnasts, having won more than 30 Olympic and world championship medals to date.

She hasn't competed in a gymnastics tournament since the delayed Tokyo Olympics where she pulled out of five of her six finals.

She later explained she had been suffering from the 'twisties' - a mental block where gymnasts can lose their sense of space in the air, which can be dangerous.

After pulling out of her events at the Olympics to put her mental wellness first, Simone became a champion for other athletes who had been struggling to find space for their mental wellbeing.

In 2021 she won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year's Lifetime Achievement Award and has since received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden - becoming the youngest person to have received this honour.