Fearless. That’s what the world thinks of Simone Biles— the legendary gymnast who overcame the “Twisties,” racked up 11 Olympic medals, and normalized the ‘mental health talk.’ However, as she prepared for the high-pressure contest in Paris, chinks in her armor became visible. Despite being physically and mentally ready for the Games, she found herself riding an emotional rollercoaster.As the teaser for Simone Biles Rising Part 2 dropped on Instagram, announcing the docuseries’s premiere on Netflix on October 25, it gave a sneak peek into what Simone Biles felt right before heading to Paris. While she felt the adrenaline rush and recognized that the team was stronger and smarter this year, there was also an emotional whirlwind that she felt, admittedly.“But an Olympic year is stressful. There’s a lot of emotions rather than just gymnastics,” the jitters of returning back for the Quad year were real. And they came with a fear of the unknown. “And you never know what’s gonna happen,” she remarked. What if all the flashbacks from Tokyo had come rushing back? Or things go wrong in the gym. Or even worse, an injury occurs.There was just so much to worry about, which made her “Feel like you’re gonna throw up, cry pee yourself. Like just all the things.” Notably, this was Simone Biles’ third Olympic stint and the pressure of redemption did tag along. Plus, she was a lot older than last time. While it is a boon experience and confidence-wise, it is something that made her a little bit afraid. Especially as the stakes were sky-high this time.Up until 2023, days before the World Championships, Biles revealed how she didn’t know if competing again was a true possibility for her, as multiple times in 2023 itself, she felt like, “I’m actually terrified of this full-in, like I’m not doing it again, never going to do it.” Although, over the three years in Tokyo, a lot had changed.In the gym, the girls encouraged her, “No Simone just come in. Come on.” Outside the gym, she found her solace in therapy, which was like her once-a-week therapeutic day off. For she knew taking care of her mind had been equally important. Plus, with Jonathan Owens, her dogs, and so much more, she now had a life out of gymnastics, while earlier it was like, “Man, gym gym gym gym.” But still, a few nervous moments were enough to give her an uneasy feeling about Paris. Well, just this seconds-long teaser of Simone expressing herself candidly made Adria Biles comment, “I’ll literally throw up.” Now imagine what being in the situation first-hand made her sister feel. Especially, given the expectations she had in mind for Paris, “But I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove we’re better athletes….” And this motto made her perform through an extremely tough situation.Why did Simone Biles perform through a calf injury at the Paris Olympics?Remember that day? The women’s team qualification rounds were on at Bercy Arena and Simone Biles & Co had shown up, not just in identical leotards but with a coinciding vision. However, watching Biles tape her ankle and say, “My calf or something like just pulled all the way,” scared the daylights out of her fans. The problem had begun during the warm-ups themselves, where Biles was seen limping and was taken off the floor.But she continued competing in the qualification, finals, and individual apparatus events, for one reason. And the Netflix series trailer has finally shed light on it. Not that the G.O.A.T. wasn’t in great pain, but Aly Raisman spills the beans in the part 2 promo, saying, “After the competition, I asked, How did you do it in so much pain? And she said, ‘I couldn’t have people tell me I was a quitter again.’”Of course, Simone Biles’ redemption tour meant everything to her. This time around, she felt that all of them on the squad had a lot more to give. And personally, she wanted to have no regrets. 10 years from now, sitting and watching Paris on the TV and being like, “Wow, if I had just gone into the gym and just put a little effort in…” She did not want to be haunted by this thought after Paris. Thus, the whole stint was about giving her all, and with 4 Medals.
