It was October, 2023. Simone Biles had yet to complete a year of her marriage. But her perspective on life had already changed. It was more than just gymnastics. “Gymnastics is just something I get to come in and have the privilege of doing. I don’t feel like it’s the end all be all anymore, as before I kind of felt like that. I get to go home to my husband, to my dogs, to my house and all of the things. So it feels really good,” she had said in a conversation with Today. Even though the Olympic trials are just 19 days away, Simone has not brushed aside that newfound meaning of life. So ahead of the big battle, she rekindled her bond with her husband, Jonathan Owens, with one more vacation.

In his IG stories, JO has recently shared multiple snaps from the couple’s leisure spent on the bed and boat riding in Chicago. Simone herself added a few pictures of her time spent with her pet in the lush green environment. For her, it is probably the best recovery after she navigates the pressure of winning her ninth US national title. If Simone has to take the stage to execute these, her coaches from the sidelines have to bear an equal amount of worry about the performance of their mentees. So a break after and before a high-intensity competition is much-deserved for them as well.

As a part of that healing, Simone’s coach, Cecile Landi, gave herself a holiday time. Landi has been seen spending her leisure time with her family in Lyon, France. She has shared several snippets from the tour through her IG story, captioning, “La famille [love emoji]”. The pictures displayed her French self, where monuments like Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere and the alleys from French suburbia remained the highlights. 

Notably, in the press conference after the Xfinity US Gymnastics Championships, Simone Biles narrated her own situation after her appearance at the Core Hydration Classic 2024. “I survived two days of competition because after Classics I could barely walk afterwards. So I was like oh gosh I don’t know how I’m going to do championships,” Simone had said. The Core Hydration Classic contest was Simone’s first elite contest this season. In the meantime, gaining full health in such a short time proved another challenge for the 27-year-old gymnast. So does age have dented the capabilities of the gymnast?

Because, after the Rio Olympics in 2016, Simone came back to elite competition just after a year. “In our sport, I’ve not seen any athlete that takes this much time off and comes back better. I’ve never seen that before. So, she’s an anomaly for sure in a really cool way. Really, I think we’re witnessing history,” U.S. high-performance coordinator Tom Forster had said, looking at that, back in 2018. But the small break that Simone took after Rio, did not sit well with some enthusiasts that made the outing somewhat bitter.

Back in 2017, on Instagram, Simone had posted her vacation pics with her family in Hawaii. One user, trolling her, commented, “Seems like u have partied non stop for a year #trash #unfollow #suckya**rolemodel.” Simone was not the one to let it go. In a fitting reply, she commented back, “Talk to me when you train for 14 years and earn 5 Olympic Medals. I think kids would say otherwise. My year off is well deserved! Take a couple seats.” As she becomes more mature, Simone can not stress more the importance of such breaks, something that might be sitting at the heart of her comebacks.

Simone Biles is earning momentum in her own ways

In the Xfinity games, she again asserted that with the highest-ever score in the Olympic quad (60.450). On the second day, she took it to 119.750, away from anyone’s reach. However, as her close ones say, her confidence is no less important in those. 

While conceding on her most renowned student’s success juice, coach Cecile Landi said, “She [Simone Biles] needs to feel confident, and this is how she feels confident, competing well.” According to the fabled gymnast herself, her success juice comes from her “Years of therapy”. 

In Fort Worth, the jubilant Simone Biles said, “I know exactly how to switch my mindset and keep going. And I think it’s years of therapy.” And who does not know about Simone Biles’ most cherished formula to pick herself up – relaxation with her close circle, mainly with her husband Jonathan Owens. The Chicago Bears safety has appeared to back his wife whenever she has needed him. This year, before going into the contests, the couple spent quality time in Oahu, taking their sabbatical from the sports engagements. Apart from that, in Texas, the duo appeared on multiple occasions together, keeping their bond intact. 

As Simone Biles looks forward to her 3rd Olympic gymnastics trial, we hope her vacation to Chicago rejuvenates her once again. That might keep her one step ahead in the cut-throat competition against the likes of Shilese Jones and Suni Lee.