Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast in history, with the strength that comes from having lived through moments of extreme visibility including her series, that is already airing on Netflix.She will be one of the athletes most closely watched by the public and the media at Paris 2024, not only because her legacy is already visible in a series on the streaming giant, but also because these Olympic Games represent her return to the courts in USA team after leaving Tokyo due to mental health problems.How does it feel to have the weight of the world on your shoulders? Simone Biles can tell you.She will be joined by three of her Tokyo teammates, such as the reigning Olympic all-around champion, team silver medallist, uneven bars bronze and three-time World medallist Suni Lee, reigning Olympic floor exercise champion and seven-time world medallist Jade Carey and 2020 Olympic team runner-up and three-time World medallist Jordan Chiles.The simple act of sharing her experiences has brought visibility to a health issue that was gaining attention. This is similar to how every achievement of a star athlete gains recognition, with gymnastics routines now named after her due to her innovation.Throughout her career, she has secured a total of seven Olympic medals, tying Shannon Miller for the highest number achieved by a U.S. women’s gymnast. At the 2023 World Championships, she won five medals, including gold in the team competition, individual all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise.Raising awareness about her struggles is nothing new for this American athlete. She also went public with her experience as a victim of sexual abuse by Dr. Larry Nassar, the former USAG (USA Gymnastics) doctor. This revelation was a significant moment in the “Me Too” movement within athletics, transforming the landscape and earning her recognition from President Joe Biden.Retiring in Tokyo, Biles focused on her physical and mental well-being and continued to support her teammates. Though she did not compete in the individual all-around, she made a comeback for one final event, the balance beam, where she secured a gold medal.After undergoing therapy and reorienting her priorities, she now appears happy and content, smiling and married to National Football League player Jonathan Owens.Following a two-year hiatus, international audiences first saw Biles’ return at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp. With four golds and one silver, Biles became the most decorated gymnast in the history of the World Championships, with a total of 30 medals”It was exciting, and it meant everything,” she said afterwards. “The fight, everything I put in to come back to this place, to feel comfortable and confident enough to compete. It’s been a lot,” she says, in a summer in which we will be able to see her evolution in Paris and her story on our television.The first episode of “Simone Biles Rising”, by director Katie Walsh and produced by Gotham Chopra, Ameeth Sankaran, Giselle Parets, and Janey Miller, in collaboration with the Olympics Channel, in air this July. Subsequent set of episodes will follow post the Paris Olympics, although an official release date has yet to be confirmed. The initial episodes will document Biles’ challenges with mental health during the Tokyo Games, as well as her comeback to competition at the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships. Remaining episodes will focus on Biles’ experiences with the United States’ gymnastics team in Paris.When British skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won the Olympic gold medal in ice dance at Sarajevo 1984 with 12 perfect 6.0s from every judge, for their interpretation of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, an important member of their team was singer-actor Michael Crawford. Crawford, who had played Frank Spencer in British sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and the title role in the musical The Phantom of the Opera, had become a mentor to the pair in 1981 and went on to help them create their Olympic routine. Crawford said he “taught them how to act”. He was present with their trainer Betty Callaway at the ringside at Sarajevo as they created one of the most iconic moments in Olympic history.
