10 Years Ahead of Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas’ Documentary Showcases Her Side of Olympic Journey

In the realm of gymnastics, Simone Biles is a name synonymous with awe-inspiring talent and unparalleled success. As the world eagerly awaits her future triumphs, Biles recently signed a deal with Netflix for a documentary series. The announcement reminded many of Gabby Douglas’ Olympics documentary that paved the way for audiences to appreciate the journey of sports personalities. 

The Netflix series will dig deep into Simone Biles’ story as she makes her return to the throne for Paris. It will also provide a deeper insight into how she overcame her twisties scare, along with her triumphant return on the mat in 2023 to take home the crown once again. While we are eagerly awaiting her documentary, we are also looking back on Douglas’ story.

Delving into legends Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas’ stories

The Gabby Douglas Story, available on Prime, was shot in 2014 and remains one of the greatest sports documentaries ever. The 120-minute movie that casts Imani Hakim and Regina King follows Douglas’ journey from childhood to teen years. It chronicles her decision to move away from the comfort of her home in Virginia Beach at the age of 14. Then follows her journey as she trains in Iowa. During these years, Douglas faced many struggles like financial hardship and homelessness. But finally, she became victorious as the first African-American woman ever to win the Olympic all-around title at the 2012 London Games. She was even named the 2012 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year. 

Other than her personal achievements, Gabby Douglas also led the US gymnastics women’s team nicknamed “The Fierce Five,” to a gold medal. After a two-year break, she returned to bag a team gold medal at the 2015 World Championships and a team gold at the 2016 Rio Games. She became the first Olympic all-around champion to make a second Olympic team since 1980. Just as Douglas’ documentary chronicled her career highlights, Simone Biles’ Netflix series is set to do the same. 

The series named, “Simone Biles: Rising” will come to Netflix in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee. It follows her journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The first episode will probably be released just before the Summer Games in August and will share her behind-the-scenes preparation for the elite games. It will also delve into her life after she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics following the twisties. The documentary is expected to shed light on her battle with mental and physical health, just like Gabby Douglas had. 

How do Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas’ careers mirror each other?

Gabby Douglas’ journey has been similar to Biles’ as they have both faced adversities. Notably, like Douglas’ parents could not support her ambitions, Biles’ parents also were not able to provide for her. She was adopted by her grandparents and raised under their care. They were also part of the same doyen of the Final Five in 2016 Rio. Even on the list of 50 greatest Black athletes, Biles and Douglas ranked 8 and 9 respectively. Naturally, all eyes are on them as they gear up for the Paris Olympics 2024. 

Simone Biles made her competitive return after a two-year hiatus at the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Here she dominated and became the most decorated gymnast in world Olympic history. Though initially, Biles was tight-lipped about her Paris goals, she revealed in March this year that she will indeed be competing. 

Similarly, last July, Gabby Douglas confirmed that she will be returning for the 2024 Paris Olympics after an eight-year break, “I took a break from 2016 until 2022 and after watching a good friend competing, I just missed it, I had a rough go at the 2016 Olympics, but I never wanted to end my career on a bad note.” She is training with the World Olympic Gymnastic Academy (WOGA) to prepare for Paris where she is expected to show her electrifying performance. This is the first Olympics the two women will be participating in after their individual hiatuses.