“And still I rise…” is not only the title of one of Maya Angelou’s most notable poems but also a phrase tattooed on the front of Simone Biles’ right shoulder. It is a statement that resonates deeply with her and her gymnastics career. Simone Biles, an American professional artistic gymnast, is arguably the greatest gymnast and athlete ever. At 27, she has accomplished an extraordinary amount, surpassing many athletes with 37 Olympic and World Championship medals and having five skills named after her. Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history.
“Simone Biles Rising,” a Netflix docuseries about this elite-level athlete, captures the chilling emotions of her gymnastics journey, highlighting the lows of Tokyo 2020, therapy, and her mental and physical road to recovery and preparation for Paris 2024.
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‘Write Me Down In History’
2020 Tokyo Olympics
The results of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were far from what Simone Biles could have ever imagined. “You’re fine when you do a fall. But when you get lost in something … No, you’re not fine,” commented Coach Laurent after Biles’ struggle during her Olympic vault warmup. In that crucial moment, she lost her air awareness mid-turn, leading to a precarious landing. For Biles, it felt eerily silent, “almost like deaf,” as she described the experience.
Realizing she couldn’t safely continue, Biles knew she had to withdraw due to a mental block and lack of air awareness. In her confessional, she mentioned feeling prepared but uncertain if her hesitation stemmed from overthinking. She recognized that the danger lay in losing control over skills she had mastered through relentless practice. This phenomenon, known as the “twisties,” occurs when the brain stops communicating with the body. As the docuseries explains, “The body decides to do one thing, and the brain wants to do another,” leaving the athlete feeling dangerously out of control. The only remedy is time off to understand the underlying cause, which is often unrelated to gymnastics.
The 2020 Olympics were uniquely challenging mentally, with athletes facing unprecedented pressures. Due to Covid-19, audiences and families were not allowed, forcing gymnasts to compete without the support of their loved ones. This absence underscored the critical importance of connection and community for peak physical performance and mental well-being.
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The 80s and 90s
In episode 1 of the docuseries, there is a flashback to the 1980s and 1990s, a time when Kerri Strug, Dominique Dawes, and Betty Okino dominated the gymnastics world. The latter two, featured in the docuseries alongside Simone Biles, reflect on the mental abuse and mistreatment athletes endured during that era. Okino recalls, “You can do it, or you can not do it. If you cannot do it, you need to move out of the way,” adding, “And if you don’t break, that makes you resilient and a champion.” This mindset, prevalent among coaches back then, unknowingly caused psychological harm to young gymnasts.
Many athletes, both past and present, often do not recognize the mistreatment in the moment, but later come to realize that the relentless pushing was, in fact, abuse. Athletes were so focused on achieving their dreams of becoming Olympians and World Champions that they overlooked the damaging negativity. As Dominique Dawes explains, “We were kids back then, and we were supposed to do as we were told.” Dawes further states that while they believed they were building Olympic champions or college scholarship athletes, in reality, they were tearing down human beings.
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Post 2020 Olympics
After the 2020 Olympics, Simone Biles tried to suppress her emotions and pretend the events hadn’t happened, hoping to address her problems once her career ended. However, she soon realized that one of the reasons behind her struggles in 2020 was a trauma response to being a survivor of child sexual abuse by former Olympic doctor Larry Nassar.
Biles’ confidence was gone, and she no longer believed in herself after Tokyo. She knew she needed to relearn how to trust herself. She returned to the gym quickly, starting with the basics until she felt comfortable and confident enough to increase the difficulty of her skills. She began with simple flips on the trampoline, and over a year and a half, her connection to the sport fluctuated in a repetitive cycle of feeling connected and disconnected. In 2023, Biles began to take her training seriously again. The girls in her gym inspired her not to give up on herself, as their faith and love for her increased her determination.
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Her husband, Jonathan Owens, a current safety for the Chicago Bears, played a crucial role in ensuring she stayed consistent with both therapy and her gym sessions. Simone explained that he was a great shoulder to lean on, being present in her life during the trauma of Tokyo. Owens, in his confessional, shared his motivational mantra: “You grow through what you go through,” which he used to help Simone overcome her trauma and regain her confidence.
Therapy was helpful in Simone Biles’ recovery. It helped her bounce back and rediscover her love for gymnastics, relieving her of the immense pressure she had placed on herself. With the support of her husband and her resilience, Biles began to rebuild her mental and emotional strength, allowing her to reclaim her place in the sport she loves.
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Road to the 2024 Paris Olympics
This year, Simone Biles is back for another Olympic run, determined to finish her career on her terms rather than being sidelined by a mental block. The journey hasn’t been easy, but Biles’ resilience is unwavering. She started by securing a spot on the 2023 US World Championship Gymnastics team, becoming the oldest gymnast to compete on the team in 72 years. In the docuseries, Biles reflects on how her first World Championships in 2013 was the only time she had been an underdog in a competition. She notes, “Once you win it, it changes all expectations for the rest of your career.”
Biles hadn’t felt as confident in her gymnastics leading up to the 2023 US Worlds due to the lasting effects of what happened in Tokyo and the baggage that came with it. To approach this competition differently, she chose not to talk to the media, allowing her to maintain focus. She continued to follow up with her therapist, turned off comments on Instagram, and occasionally deleted Twitter to minimize distractions. This strategic shift helped her concentrate on her performance and mental well-being.
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To qualify for the vault finals, Simone Biles needed to successfully land her routines, particularly the “Yurchenko double pike,” which she aimed to have named after her. No other woman has ever completed this vault due to its extreme difficulty. The goal is straightforward yet frightening: land on your feet and stay on your feet after repeatedly flipping at a rapid pace in a pike position, which is significantly more complex than flipping in a tucked position. As the episode concludes, Simone candidly states, “Most of the time I’m just trying not to die.”
A Must Watch
This docuseries perfectly encapsulates what it’s like in the mind of such a historic athlete, revealing that her life isn’t just perfect with no bad days. It humanizes her, and hopefully, audiences pick up on that as well. It’s chilling, emotional, encouraging, and inspiring all in one, making it a must-watch for all ages. Athletes, in particular, should watch this series as it can help alleviate the pressure they feel, showing them they are not alone in their mental blocks, moments of low confidence, and other stressors that can hinder their performance. Stream ‘Simone Biles Rising’ now on Netflix and enjoy the first two episodes as Olympic enthusiasts gear up to watch Biles and Team USA compete for gold, potentially marking Simone Biles’ last competition ever.
By Kaili Spooner
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Author
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Kaili Spooner’s passion lies in sports journalism and Black TV/Film, and her writing strongly aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s values of delivering factual and in-depth coverage. While her future career goal is to be a sports journalist and do social media work for the NBA/WNBA, for now, she balances her academic pursuits with being a collegiate volleyball player at SSU and unwinding with her favorite comedy and drama sitcoms at home.
Kaili Spooner’s passion lies in sports journalism and Black TV/Film, and her writing strongly aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s values of delivering factual and in-depth coverage. While her future career goal is to be a sports journalist and do social media work for the NBA/WNBA, for now, she balances her academic pursuits with being a collegiate volleyball player at SSU and unwinding with her favorite comedy and drama sitcoms at home.
