Simone Biles always knows who to turn to when she needs a boost, whether it’s her 2024 Olympic teammates like Jade Carey, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles, or her husband, Jonathan Owens, during her most nervous moments. As Biles puts it, “If I ever have a bad day or even a good day,” she knows exactly who to go to.

Despite clinching three gold medals and one silver at her third Olympics earlier this month—gold in the team all-around, individual all-around, and vault, and silver in the floor exercise—Biles admitted she was “nervous for all-around than… for the team,” revealing that even the greatest can have their moments of doubt. Yet, the nervousness she felt in the Paris All-Around results was eased by the support and affection from her husband, turning a potential setback into a triumph, unlike in Tokyo 2020.

On August 27th, in a candid conversation with Aly Raisman, seven-time Olympic champion Simone Biles opened up about how crucial support was in helping her stay calm and maintain her mental health. When asked, “What did it feel like going to sleep the night before the all-around final?” Biles replied, “Oh, the girls, they could tell you. We were, like, we were way more nervous for all-around than we were for team. Team, we were so calm and collected, and we were having a great time. And then I think the realness set in. It’s like, oh, this is all-around, this is very big.”

She further added, “And so, I felt pretty good warming up, but not like I did for team. So, I really had to calm my nerves and make sure I was in a good headspace before I went out. So, that’s why, like, even after my bar routine, and I didn’t do the best bar routine, I had to, like, refocus and recenter myself so that I had, like, a good rest of the meet. But it was crazy. The nerves were there and apparent.”

Well, we know in the uneven bars competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade kicked things off with a stellar routine, scoring 14.666 with a mix of handstands and pirouettes. Simone Biles followed but chose not to perform the skill she had submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation. The uneven bars are known to be Biles’ weakest event, and she took an extra swing during her routine, visibly grimacing afterward. Her score was 13.733. Suni Lee delivered a fantastic performance, landing with a smile and scoring 14.866 in the 2nd subdivision. By the end of the second rotation, Andrade was leading, Nemour was in second, Biles was in third, and Lee was in fifth place.

When Aly Raisman asked, “How did you recenter yourself after your bar routine? When was the last time you saw yourself in third place? Have you ever seen yourself in third place?”

Biles gave a candid response: “I didn’t even see it. I had to look up at Jonathan and ask, ‘What place am I in?’ I’ve never been in that position before. I had to focus on my cues and think about what my therapist told me to do if I felt anxious. So, when you saw me sitting there, it might have looked like I was doing nothing, but I felt like I was praying to every God there was. Really, I was just trying to recenter myself and think about what helps me.”

During that time, Biles was visibly calm, taking deep breaths and focusing on calming her mind. However, during the meeting, Simone Biles was distant from Jonathan Owens. Despite Owens missing his training sessions to support her wife in Paris, there was no communication from her side, leaving him out of the loop.

Jonathan Owens gives Simone Biles the wind beneath her wings

When Aly Raisman asked Simone Biles if she had texted Jonathan Owens during her meet, Biles responded with a smile, “No, I could see him in the audience.” Owens, a safety for the Chicago Bears, had received special permission to miss NFL training camp from July 29 to August 3—an exception rarely granted to players.

Despite some flight troubles, Owens made it to Paris just in time to watch Team USA’s women’s gymnastics team win gold and see Biles secure gold in the individual all-around final. Owens shared that he was able to lock eyes with Biles before the competition began, with the two blowing kisses in a heartfelt ritual that’s become their pre-event tradition.

Owens’ support has always been a source of strength for Biles, and it was no different in Paris. Even from afar (in stands), his presence provided the reassurance she needed, especially when facing setbacks. The love and support he offered from the stands helped fuel her performance, and one can’t help but wonder if his absence might have echoed the challenges Biles faced in 2021.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles withdrew from the competition, citing mental health challenges, including her struggle with a condition known as “the twisties.” This condition caused her to lose spatial awareness while airborne, leading to a significant setback during her vault routine. Attempting 2 1/2 twists, she ended up performing only 1 1/2 twists and felt disoriented in mid-air. This loss of spatial orientation made it unsafe for her to continue, leading to her withdrawal from the Games.

Compounding the challenge was the absence of her partner, Jonathan Owens, due to COVID-19 restrictions, which prevented him from being in the stadium to offer support. As the saying goes, everything happens for a reason, and since then everything has been perfect between the couple.