Simone Biles has long been the undisputed queen of gymnastics, but her haul at the Paris 2024 Olympics, three golds in team all-around, individual all-around, and vault, plus a silver in floor exercise, solidified her as one of the greatest athletes ever. At 27, she pushed her Olympic medal count to 11, including seven golds, proving resilience after Tokyo’s setbacks. Yet, fans wonder: what happens when the GOAT takes a well-deserved breather?
Well, proceeding to 2025, Biles hasn’t graced the competition floor much this season. Instead, she’s been soaking up the sun on vacations in the British Virgin Islands and Belize, sharing glimpses of mesmerizing sunsets and sunrises, beaches, and mountains. It’s refreshing to see her prioritize downtime, but it leaves us wondering: when might we hear her unfiltered thoughts on that triumphant yet challenging Paris run?
Well, on a recent episode of the Olympics Podcast, Biles opened up about her Paris reflections, painting a picture of grit amid adversity. She spoke candidly about her rivalry with Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who edged her out for floor gold by a razor-thin 0.033 points while claiming silvers in all-around and vault. “I know how good of a competitor Rebecca is, and I’m always excited to compete against her,” Biles shared, adding that despite wishing for a bit more, she was content. But how did she navigate the physical and mental hurdles?
Indeed, competing with a nagging calf injury tested her limits, as did the mental weight of her age. “Looking back, it was like, it was the best. It was what I wanted to do it, obviously, I wish it went a little bit better, but I’m not mad at the performances that I gave, given the injury that I was working with and my age mentally. So, honestly, I feel like it went pretty well,” she reflected. This honesty highlights her growth, but what about the lingering shadows from Tokyo?
Credits: IMAGO
Anxiety loomed large, with Biles admitting she pondered her Tokyo “twisties” daily—not negatively, but as motivation. “I thought about that every single day, but not in a negative way, more in a positive way that I’ve put the work in and that this will not happen again. But there was always a part of me that thought, ‘What if, what if?’ And I think that was obviously my anxiety talking,” she explained.
Simone Biles worked to quiet those voices, emphasizing her humanity: “So if I could lower that voice, then I felt more comfortable competing. But at that point, there was just, there was literally no way that it could happen. I put too much work and physically, mentally, emotionally, were human. You’re always gonna think about, what if it goes wrong? What if it does it? And that was just the little voices in my head?” Her words resonate deeply, reminding us that champions are human too. So, as she enjoys her breaks, what’s next for this icon?
In Paris, those voices didn’t win. But back there in Tokyo, things went quite rough for Simone Biles.
Simone Biles’ Tokyo trials were a champion’s battle with the twisties
Simone Biles arrived at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the gymnastics world’s golden standard, with four Olympic medals from Rio 2016, including three golds. But Tokyo wasn’t the triumph fans expected. Instead, it became a raw, human chapter for the GOAT, marked by a mental block known as the “twisties.” So what exactly went wrong?
Source: Instagram/Simone Biles
Mid-competition, Biles withdrew from the team all-around, individual all-around, vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise finals after experiencing the twisties—a disorienting condition where gymnasts lose spatial awareness mid-air. She described it as her mind and body being “at odds,” a terrifying disconnect for someone executing high-flying routines. “lost in the air,” she later shared, reflecting on how those moments haunted her, fueling anxiety but also resolve. Her lone medal, a bronze on beam, showed grit, matching her Rio 2016 beam result. But how did she face the mental toll?
Despite withdrawing, Biles stayed to cheer her teammates, like Sunisa Lee, who won all-around gold. “We’re human,” she said, acknowledging the “what if” voices in her head. Her openness reshaped mental health conversations. What would Paris 2024 hold for her?
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