imone Biles Cries as She Talks Withdrawing from Tokyo Olympics in First Trailer for Her Netflix Series
‘Simone Biles Rising’ premieres on Netflix July 17, just over a week before the 2024 Summer Olympics kick off in Paris
Simone Biles is documenting her journey back to Olympic competition.
On Wednesday, June 19, Biles, 27, and Netflix released the first trailer for the streamer’s new four-part docuseries Simone Biles Rising, which covers the celebrated gymnast’s decision to withdraw from competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, her mental health journey since that tournament and her decision to return to competition ahead of this summer’s Olympic games in Paris.
The trailer includes behind-the-scenes footage of Biles as she realizes she needs to drop out of competition in Tokyo, her return to the mat in 2023 and now, as she readies for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Along the way, the series also features moments with her husband, NFL safety Jonathan Owens, as well as her former Team USA teammate Aly Raisman and her mother Nellie Biles.
An official synopsis for the series recalls that Biles “was one of the biggest stories leading into” the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo before the gymnast was struck with the “twisties.”
“Since then, Simone has put in the hard work: facing the difficult traumas of her past, learning to manage her mental health, embracing her journey, and in the process, rebuilding her gymnastics from the ground up,” the synopsis reads. “Her courage to soar knows no bounds as this summer she plans to return to the Olympic stage once again to do what she’s always done — be the best Simone that she can be. Because through it all, Simone still rises.”
“We are all the authors of our own journeys, and I am in a place in my life where I’m comfortable with who I am and what I’ve been through as an athlete, but most of all, as a person,” Biles said in a statement shared by Netflix. “Gymnastics is what I do but it’s not who I am, and I’m excited for people to see another side of me outside of competition.”
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“I know there are young girls out there who look to me for inspiration and are faced with similar challenges, and my hope is that this documentary helps to empower them to be true to who they are and never give up on their dreams,” she added in a statement.
Biles most recently won the top title at the 2024 U.S. Gymnastics Championships and swept every individual title on her way back to the Olympics, which kick off on July 26 in Paris. As she looks to make this year’s competition, Biles’ seven career Olympic medals are currently tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by any American gymnast, per the Olympics’ website.
Simone Biles Rising premieres on Netflix July 17 with four 45-minute episodes.
