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LOS ANGELES: Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles is poised to compete in August for the first time since mental health and safety concerns cut short her Tokyo Olympics campaign, entering the August US Classic near Chicago. USA Gymnastics announced Wednesday that the four-time Olympic gold medalist was entered in the August 4-5 event, which would be her first since she withdrew from most of her events in Tokyo in 2021. “Registration...does not guarantee participation,” USA Gymnastics warned in the statement.

CHICAGO: The Chicago Bulls and center Nikola Vucevic agreed Wednesday to a $60 million, three-year extension, keeping the two-time All-Star off the free agent market. The move was hardly a surprise considering executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and Vucevic had expressed a desire to get a deal done. The consistently productive 6-foot-10 center averaged 17.6 points and 11 rebounds — both identical to his averages a season earlier — while playing in all 82 games for the first time in his career.

NEW YORK: Even without a few key players, the US head into the Women’s World Cup with a formidable group of wily veterans and eager newcomers. The question is, will it be enough for the team to lift international soccer’s most prestigious trophy again? The US have won the last two World Cups and the goal is to three-peat. But American dominance in women’s soccer isn’t assured anymore. Teams like England and France have caught up, Germany and Sweden remain strong, and then there’s that rival to the north, Canada, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland: Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh has said since the start of the war that all Russian and Belarusian athletes should be excluded from international events, including the 2024 Paris Olympics. Speaking on Wednesday a short distance from International Olympic Committee headquarters, Mahuchikh did not understand why opinions changed there after it had been pro-exclusion last year.

PHILADELPHIA: James Harden might have side-eyed questions this week — much like he did in a playful reaction in his Houston days — about his future with the Philadelphia 76ers. But the issue is real in Philly: Will Harden return to the 76ers for a third season? All signs point to Harden declining his $35.6 million option on Thursday and entering this summer as an unrestricted free agent. That leaves the 2018 NBA MVP and 10-time All-Star free to sign with any team.

INDIANAPOLIS: Katie Ledecky joined an elite club Tuesday night, earning her sixth trip to the world championships with a dominating victory in the 800-meter freestyle at the US nationals. Ledecky was under her own world-record pace for much of the race before settling for the victory in 8 minutes, 7.07 seconds — her third-fastest time in the grueling event, which she has dominated over her long career with the 30 fastest times in history.

Seven events into the LIV Golf League’s first official 14-tournament season and the individual and team championship competitions are heating up, while those at the bottom of the table face possible relegation. Talor Gooch of RangeGoats GC leads the individual standings with 96 points, thanks to impressive back-to-back wins in Adelaide and Singapore. Stinger GC’s Branden Grace and Smash GC captain and 2023 PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka trail closely behind with 86 and 85 points, respectively.