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PARIS, FRANCE &#8211; AUGUST 05: Simone Biles of Team United States poses with her Paris 2024 Olympic &#8230; [+]
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In the second part of Simone Biles’ behind-the-scenes documentary on Netflix, the surprise isn’t the outcome of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – we all know how that turned out in victory. Instead, the surprise is in the revelations around how she dealt with the intense pressure that goes with being the face of the sport of gymnastics and of this year’s Olympic Games.
Read on to hear how she felt when her Paris experience started off with a calf injury during warmups, what her coaches and doctors did to support her, and what it meant to take back the narrative that had begun four years earlier in Tokyo.
Episode 3: ‘I Will Defy The Odds’
Bonjour, Paris. Episode 3 begins with Biles arriving for the 2024 Olympics in Paris in what she and her Team USA teammates dubbed the Redemption Tour after a disappointing team showing at the 2020 Tokyo Games. You’re able to see how the gymnasts enjoy team bonding to ease the nerves leading up to the first competition they face in what will be six grueling days of competition in Bercy Arena. Biles shares a glimpse of the pressure and the stress of meet day when she candidly shares: “You feel like you’re going to throw up, cry and pee yourself.”
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First up is the Women’s Qualifications. But during warmups on floor, Biles says she felt a weird sensation in her calf. She talks about where her mind immediately jumped to: “It’s so annoying,” she says. “Like déjà vu. People are going to think I’m quitting again.”
Her coaches, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi and Laurent Landi, rallied around the gymnast they’ve coached since 2017. “I could see it in her face. She started to freak out,” Landi said. So, he told her on the competition floor, “The pain isn’t going to go away, but your readiness isn’t going away either.”
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Dr. Marcy Faustin, charged with taking care of the physical and mental health of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team as their co-head team physician, also brought a calming force to the situation. She had been on the mat when Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics to attend to her mental health, and now they faced her physical health with a calf muscle strain.
“In the moment, we had very little time to make a decision. Should she continue the competition? Is it safe for her to compete? And making sure that if she felt that ‘I’m not sure I’m safe enough to go,’ then she wasn’t going to go.”
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But for Biles, she was being driven by the knowledge of the developing narrative. “I couldn’t have people tell me I was a quitter again.”
Another revelation in the documentary is a discussion about how the sport of gymnastics, unlike other sports, has always favored youth. Biles, who had recently turned 27 during the Olympic Trials, talks about the age shift that’s been occurring in gymnastics, and how gymnasts are now being given room to take breaks and come back to the sport.
Jessica O’Beirne, host of the GymCastic podcast, puts it in perspective. “If Simone wins any medal in Paris, it means the narrative can finally change, and some of that damage of ‘teenagers are the only ones that can do it’ can be undone. It’s also a sign that she controls the narrative. She decides what the story is. She’s the one who is in control of her own life and her career.”
Episode 4: ‘I will Rise’
In the final episode of the series, Biles talks about the difference between the Rio Games and the Tokyo Games.
“In Rio, I had no anxiety. I was purely there to have fun and make memories.” And she came away with five medals, four of them gold.
For the Tokyo Games, she earned a silver medal for the team competition after withdrawing due to mental health and the twisties (where your mind and body are out of sync and you have no control of what skill you may perform).
For the Paris Games, she says she feels back in control. “This time around, I’m in a good headspace and don’t have those doubts anymore. My goal is to win the Olympics in team gold and all-around gold.”
And with all eyes on her, that’s exactly what she does. Biles secured four more Olympic medals including team gold, all-around gold, vault gold and a floor silver medal to add to her collection and to become the most decorated American gymnast in history.
As she reflects on what she has accomplished during her career, Biles says that she’s most proud of “staying true to myself and never swaying.” She also adds that showing up is the hardest part for her.
Her husband, Jonathan Owens, has a different take: “My baby always shows up. Always.” But the NFL safety for the Chicago Bears also recognizes what Biles did to turn around her mental health. “Not doing it for yourself – that’s when you start to feel the pressure.”
There’s a sense of relief that Biles says she feels now as she looks to the future to figure out what happens next in her life.
Tune in to Netflix to watch the documentary ‘Simone Biles Rising’.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA &#8211; OCTOBER 23: Simone Biles attends Netflix&#8217;s Simone Biles Rising premiere &#8230; [+]
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3 Takeaways From The Simone Biles Netflix Series