The most decorated gymnast of all time, Simone Biles, returns to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after addressing mental health concerns.
Biles, 27, exited the Tokyo Games in 2021 after performing a series of vaults to well below her high standards. She later revealed that her performances could be explained by the “twisties”, a daunting yet common mental block that many gymnasts face.
It can be likened to the “yips” in golf, and is essentially where an athlete is unable to complete the full motion of a twist when carrying out their routine because a mental “fog” interrupts their usual physical performance.
Despite the accolades she has earnt for Team USA – including four Olympic gold medals – Biles was met with a volatile response from several media outlets following her rather abrupt withdrawal.
After being labelled as a quitter, Biles was determined to prepare her body and mind for an inspirational comeback story at Paris 2024.
She opened up about her struggles in a new Netflix documentary, Simone Biles: Rising, which offers her audience an insight into how she overcame the greatest setback of her career.
In truth, it seemed that, in addition to the enormous pressure she was under, the absence of her family and friends amid Covid-19 restrictions at the Tokyo Games presented another formidable challenge.
Without her husband and NFL star Jonathan Owens, too, Biles admitted that she felt lost and isolated when training for her routines.
But now, with the full support of her loved ones and a generation of aspiring gymnasts, she no longer has to worry about being enveloped by a feeling of loneliness.
When is Biles competing?
In Paris, the women’s gymnastics will start on 28 July and conclude on 5 August.
Depending on which individual events she qualifies for, Biles is likely to compete across the full nine days, with finals for the five different events firmly within her grasp.
In particular, she will no doubt be looking to get redemption over the vault, with the women’s final for that event taking place on August 3.
How many Olympic medals has Biles won?
After making her Olympic debut at the Rio Games in 2016, Biles had already secured four gold medals and one bronze medal by the age of 19.
She now has a combined 37 world championship and Olympic medals and, with her third appearance at the Summer Games fast approaching, there is perhaps even more to come from one of America’s greatest athletes of all time.
