Simone Biles wins Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award 2024 after last year's Antwerp exploits 

Olympic Champion Simone Biles has been named the winner of the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award 2024 after the gymnastics icon staged a sensational comeback in Antwerp last year.

Biles withdrew from several event finals at the Tokyo Olympics after suffering from a mental health condition, ‘Twisties’. While the 27-year-old took part in the Gold Over America tour later, she took a long break from the sport after the Olympics, only to return before the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Biles was phenomenal throughout the whole campaign. She won a whopping five medals in Antwerp, which consisted of four gold and one silver. She took her World and Olympic medal tally to 37, stamping her authority as one of the greatest the sport has ever seen.

Biles also won a record 6th all-around title at the World Championships and was deservedly nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year 2024. She was nominated for the same award in 2022 as well. While she didn't win it last time, Biles managed to get the most votes for the incredible 2023 season.

Laureus Sports congratulated Simone Biles on the victory via Instagram and wrote:

"The 2024 Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award winner is Simone Biles. The iconic gymnast made a record-breaking return to competition last year, winning four gold medals in the World Championship including a record sixth all-around title."

The 27-year-old defeated UK's Katrina Johnson-Thompson, South African rugby player Siya Kolsi, soccer player Sebastian Haller, Jamal Murray and Marketa Vondrousova to win the award. While Biles wasn't nominated for the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year Award in 2024, she won the award thrice in 2020, 2019 and 2017.

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Simone Biles was ‘proud’ after Antwerp comeback

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Simone Biles made her first comeback at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 after the gymnastics icon showed courage and determination to compete in the last apparatus final despite struggling with mental health issues. She would win the bronze medal, but take a year-long break from the sport later.

As Biles returned to glory at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023, she said she was proud of the work she had put in. The 4x Olympic champion added that she was excited to keep going year after year.

"It still proves to myself and other people that I can do it, so I'm proud of the work that I've put in to get to this point, and it's just exciting that I just keep going up, up each and every year, so I'm excited for what's to come," she said (via olympics.com).

Simone Biles also became the first gymnast to win the all-around title in 2 different decades after winning her first in 2013. When asked what it meant to her, Biles replied:

"I was emotional because 10 years I won my first Worlds, now we're back here. So, it was emotional. It means everything to me, the fight, everything that I've put in to get back to this place to feel comfortable and confident enough to compete."