Every once in a while, there comes an athlete who redefines the tenets of the sport itself. For the USA, Simone Biles is currently the flagbearer who has become synonymous with gymnastics. The reigning world champion has been waiting to make up for the lost opportunity from three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, and the hopes of the entire nation rest on her broad shoulders. Her return to the top has attracted the attention of all gymnastics fans worldwide, and even the big shots aren’t immune to the thrill that Biles evokes.

Li Li Leung has been instrumental in helping US gymnastics regain its former glory after Larry Nassar’s scandal rocked the nation in 2016. And the CEO of USAG couldn’t keep calm when shedding light on her thoughts about the 27-year-old star’s impact on artistic gymnastics.

Even the authorities can’t get enough of Simon Biles

The upcoming US Olympics Gymnastics Team Trials will be the last hurdle that gymnasts will need to hop over to secure their spot in the team flying to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. Naturally, the expectations from Simone are tremendous. 13 News recently caught up with Leung ahead of the trials to talk about what she’s looking forward to seeing in Minneapolis this week. While Leung confessed that Biles was not as young as female Olympic gymnasts normally are, she admitted that the latter’s skills were beyond doubt.

“I think it’s difficult to quantify the value that she has brought to the sport on a global basis. She is the greatest of all time and how do you quantify that?” said Li in the exclusive interview. The president of USAG also said that Simone’s impact on women’s gymnastics cannot be comprehended so easily, considering what she has achieved in her illustrious career.

Li also went on to note how great everyone felt seeing Simone on the track to reclaim her throne on the biggest stage, and how highly anticipated the Team Trials have become. “…we couldn’t be happier to have her back and have her be happy being back,” exclaimed Leung. Considering how Biles has been making waves in recent competitions, the excitement isn’t misplaced, we’d say.

A statement performance awaits

During last year’s World Championships held in Antwerp, Biles sent out a definitive message to her opponents as she clinched three individual gold medals along with the team title. Since “the twisties” restricted her from performing in the 2021 Olympics final, Biles was at the center of massive backlash at home accusing her of taking the easy way out. Understandably, the willpower that Simone displayed on her return was nothing short of enthralling, and she has proven her desire to climb back to the top on more than one occasion.

At both the Core Hydration US Classic as well as the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships, Biles picked up the top spot, as she stomped over her competition. At the US Gymnastics Championships, Biles not only bagged the top-finisher spot in all four events, but she also recorded her first over-60 score since 2021. No wonder that the head honcho of the country’s gymnastics apex body is keen to see what Biles dishes out at the Target Center later this week.

But Simone’s task will not be an easy one. She will have to go up against the likes of Shilese Jones, the defending all-around Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, and Leanne Wong: all of whom will also run in all guns blazing. But knowing Biles’ track record, their resistance might not hold a candle to Biles’ resilience, unless they pull off something miraculous.