Fans welcome Olympic champ Simone Biles to Hoffman Estates

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Simone Biles returns to competition for the first time since withdrawing from some Olympic events in Tokyo.

And she's doing it at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, attracting big crowds of supporters.

CBS 2's Sara Machi talked to some of her youngest fans, ready to welcome her back to the sport they share.

The stage is set - the wait is over.

"Yeah, I see her!"

"I see her. I see her. I see her."

All eyes and phones on the gymnast, called the "greatest of all time," the one not seen on the competition floor since August 3, 2021.

If Simone Biles is excited about returning after two years off, she doesn't show it. But her fans will tell you about theirs.

She could not sleep at all last night. Yeah. She's like, 'I can't fall asleep.' I told her 'You need to sleep,'" said Mirabelle and Jessica Colby:

"I was excited. I was, like, trembling. I couldn't go to sleep because I wanted to meet her so bad," fan Lucy Metz said.

It's a frenzy of flips and spins, with every fan with their favorite routine.

Backs, tucks, folds. I love the bars," Mirabelle Colby said. 

The gymnasts take turns launching and twisting mid-air, each practicing for the competition. It's Biles's first since she stepped away from some Olympic events to prioritize her mental health.

Biles' routine drew the biggest applause of the day. If success in sports takes hard work and teaches discipline, the athletes said, there's a lesson in the lows too.

"I think it's important to have the values of gymnastics life roll over to their everyday life," said parents Ericka Adams and Stephanie Minick.

"If you fall up, you should just get back up, and that no matter how you try. Even if you don't make it, you can still keep on trying," added Metz.

Biles is back Saturday, competing in front of a sold-out crowd—the men's competition caps off the weekend Sunday.

In:
• Gymnastics
• Simone Biles
• Olympics
• Hoffman Estates