Simone Biles plans to return to gymnastics training in about one year, according to media at her Central Texas book signing Wednesday.
“I am taking a year off from gymnastics and am going back to training at the end of the year or beginning of next year, so I’ll start training then,” Biles said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “I don’t know when I’ll be back for the world championships. I have to get in shape, and we have trials for worlds, but hopefully the next goal after if I make worlds’ teams and championships is the Olympics again.”
Biles previously said she would take all of 2017 off from competition but planned to return at some point for a run for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The major competitions in 2018 will likely be in the summer -- the national championships -- and the early fall -- world championships.
The only member of the Final Five who is in competition mode is Madison Kocian, who debuted for UCLA earlier this month.
Aly Raisman and Laurie Hernandez are also on breaks but expected to return to elite competition for a Tokyo run.
It’s not known whether Gabby Douglas will return to competition.
Olympic alternate Ragan Smith and a to-be-named gymnast make up the U.S. women’s team at the American Cup on March 4.
