Simone Biles Is Open About Struggles and Olympics Comeback in Simone Biles Rising
Simone Biles is a competitive gymnast known for her iconic flips and tricks that earned her an unmatched reputation and spot in the Olympics. Now she is getting real about all things Olympics, pulling out in 2020, and her journey getting back on track in part 1 of her docu-series Simone Biles Rising. We see Biles facing physical and mental struggles, but we also get to know the woman behind all the shiny gold medals.
Biles starts the show in a good headspace as she lives life with her husband Jonathan Owens, football safety for the Chicago Bears. The viewers get to see the happy couple starting the process of building a house together. Biles says, “I never thought I’d be at this stage in my life, but I feel very grateful.” It was really nice to see how these two support each other throughout the show.
The show then takes us back to 2020, that traumatic year, and what was going on in Bile’s mind. Watching what these gymnasts had to go through with training and competing in the middle of a pandemic was mind blowing. I couldn’t fathom only being allowed inside a gym and their hotel rooms. The whole process surely left a lot of space for overthinking, which Biles started to do a lot of as she spent hours and hours scrolling on social media. I can’t imagine what it was like for Biles to see her face everywhere for months. Online, on billboards, in commercials. I appreciate how honest and raw the show was in portraying Biles. The media and athletes build her up, but she is still a human struggling with her mental health too.
This amount of pressure ultimately translated to her competition vault when Biles severely messed up. She says in the series, “If I could have ran out of that stadium, I would have. […] Afterwards, it felt like I was in jail with my brain and body.” Biles revealed that what she experienced in 2020 was a gymnast term called “the twisties.” “Twisties” happen when the mind and body are not connected and, for athletes, can be very dangerous.
After dropping out of the 2020 Olympics, Biles took time to heal and set herself back on track. But it wasn’t always easy. She faced serious backlash from the whole world. We also see how much her family, friends, coaches, and teammates really helped her through that time, which I can appreciate. Biles says that she discovered “there are so many different things, and it’s not always about the gym. Life moves on.”
In an inspirational turn of events, Biles decides to head back to training, revealing that she is going for another Olympic run in 2024. “I feel a lot of us in the gymnastics world have been able to prove that you can be older and kind of prolong your career,” she said about her decision. It was really powerful and inspiring to see the hard work she put in being brought to light!
We really see a lot of hard work and determination from Biles in part 1 of her docu-series. After dealing with her mental and physical wellbeing, she manages to come back stronger than ever. The show was uplifting and inspiring for women all around the world who look up to what Biles does. I thoroughly enjoyed being taken backstage into Biles’ life and learning how she fought her way to the top. The professional gymnast really has a gift and it looks like she is ready to share it with the world again in the 2024 Paris Olympics!
Part 1 of Simone Biles Rising is now available on Netflix.
